A photo published by Chinese media and widely commented on Twitter since, shows a Su-30MKK, a Chinese-acquired version of the Russian fighter, carrying Chinese-made PL-12 air-to-air missiles. Inspired by the Russian R-77, the PL-12 is a radar-guided missile, whose range reaches 70 to 100 km depending on the altitude and the speed of the launcher.
To be able to equip their Su-30MMK with this missile, Chinese engineers had to go through a reverse engineering phase of the aircraft firing system, and are therefore now capable of equipping the Su-30 with the full range of Chinese weapons. More particularly, it will be able to carry up to 3 long-range supersonic anti-ship missiles YJ-12 which, combined with the already large range of action of the Su-30, will provide an extension of more than 2500 km to the fighter fleet. in anti-ship warfare.
By adding this new potential to existing systems, such as the D21-D and D26 anti-ship ballistic missiles, the H-6 and JH-7 bombers, as well as increasingly efficient diesel submarines, the PLA is now capable of keeping American aircraft carriers more than 3000 km from its coasts. We understand, then, the need to have a refueling system like the MQ-25 Stingray, intended to significantly increase the length of the F/A 18 and F-35C equipping US aircraft carriers.