LY-60 / FD-60 / PL10

The LY-60/FD-60/PL-10 is a family of PRC missiles developed by the Shanghai Academy of Science and Technology, largely based on the Italian Alenia Aspide missile - itself a version of the American AIM-7 Sparrow missile. There are four versions of the basic design, three of which are surface-to-air and one air-to-air.

Development

Development of the LY-60 was precipitated by the Chinese requirement for a beyond visual range (BVR) weapons system. Directly copying the AIM-7 proved unsuccessful, after which China purchased a number of Alenia Aspide missiles from Italy. Hopes of locally manufacturing the missile under license collapsed after the Tiananmen Square crackdown of 1989.

Variants

The LY-60 (Lie Ying, "Falcon") is a surface-to-air missile system deployed by the People's Liberation Army. It entered service among air defense units beginning in 1994 and was unveiled by the Chinese Precision Machinery Import-Export Company or CPMIEC at the International Weapons Systems Exhibition, "Defendory' 94," held in Piraeus, Greece in October 1994. Capable of intercepting air targets at medium and low altitudes, it sports advanced command and control features not found in any of its Western contemporaries.

Design

A LY-60 battery consists of a surveillance radar, three tracking/illumination radars, six TELs, and support equipment mounted on trucks. Between these systems, it can detect 40, track 12 and engage 3. Incorporating the moving target tracking processing...
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