The JF-17’s air-launched rocket (CM-400AKG) Plus

In its disclosure for 2017-2018, Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence Production (MoDP) revealed that it procured 60 CM-400AKG missiles for $100 million US. The following article — previously a Quwa Premium piece from February 2018 but now a freely available sample — outlines the technical nature of the CM-400AKG and its applicability to the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) requirements.

While rooted as a replacement for the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) Dassault Mirage III/5, Chengdu F-7P and Nanchang A-5 combat aircraft, the JF-17 can amount to more than a purely short-range ground-attack or point-defence/air defence fighter (i.e. the roles assumed by its predecessors). The JF-17 is a co-production effort between the Aviation Industry of China (AVIC) and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), the latter manufacturing 58% of the fighter under the workshare agreement (alongside final assembly for the PAF).[1]

Besides recapitalizing the PAF fighter fleet, the JF-17 imbued the PAF’s mainstay fleet with contemporary air combat capabilities, including the ability to widely deploy stand-off range weapons (SOW). Currently, the PAF is configuring the JF-17 to carry the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) C-802 anti-ship missile (AShM) and Global Industrial & Defence Solutions (GIDS) Range Extension Kit (REK) precision-guided bomb (PGB) suite for MK-80-series general purpose bombs (GPB).

However, AVIC’s marketing portfolio shows that the JF-17 can be – depending on customer requirements – configured with a diverse array of SOWs, including the unique CM-400AKG AShM. The CM-400AKG has been tied as a SOW option for the JF-17.[2] It is unclear if the PAF itself inducted or is planning to induct the CM-400AKG, despite labelling it as an “aircraft carrier killer” on multiple occasions (note: the MoDP confirmed that the PAF procured 60 CM-400AKGs in 2017-2018).[3][4] Nonetheless, the CM-400AKG shows that thought – and development – has been paid to expanding the JF-17’s SOW options.

The CM-400AKG anti-ship missile (AShM)

When introduced as a weapon option for the JF-17, the CASIC CM-400AKG was hinted as an analogous solution to the BrahMos, India’s supersonic-cruising AShM. This comparison was drawn based on the stated top-speed of the CM-400AKG, Mach 4+ according to the previous Project Director of the JF-17, Air Commodore Mahmood Khalid.[5] However, while seeming similar in the intended role (anti-ship warfare) and capability (i.e. supersonic speed), the CM-400AKG is a fundamentally different missile design or concept than the BrahMos and other AShMs serving with the PAF and the Pakistan Navy (PN).

In contrast to the BrahMos, Exocet, C-802A and the recently-announced Harba AShM, the CM-400AKG is powered solely by a solid-fuel rocket motor. In other words, the CM-400AKG does not use an air-breathing miniature turbojet or turbofan engine, which – besides using liquid fuel – is also more fuel efficient, supporting sustained flight at longer ranges. In addition, air-breathing designs can also undertake terrain-hugging/sea-skimming flight, i.e. low-altitude flight for avoiding radar coverage and reducing the reaction time for countermeasures. These attributes are not available to the CM-400AKG.

Rather than sea-skimming, CASIC stated that the CM-400AKG relies on high-altitude launch, which CASIC claims lends to “higher aircraft survivability”.[6] According to IHS Jane’s, the CM-400AKG “climbs to a high altitude and terminates with a high-speed drive on the target.”[7] In effect, it appears that the CM-400AKG operates with an arc, thus owing to its quasi-ballistic missile ties. Besides its flight trajectory, the CM-400AKG reportedly has a range of 180-250 km, using a terminal-stage seeker – optional between imaging infrared (IIR) and active radar-homing (ARH).[8] However, the terminal-stage element is – as per CASIC – best suited for ‘slow-moving targets’, with overt mention of aircraft carriers.[9] The CM-400AKG’s warhead options include blast fragmentation and penetration.[10]

The total weight of the CM-400AKG is unclear as there are conflicting reports. For example, Jane’s lists the total weight at 400 kg, while Flight Global states (referencing AVIC) that the missile weighs 910 kg.[11] If the CM-400AKG weighs 400 kg, then it would be markedly lighter than commonplace cruising AShM, such as the CASIC C-802 and MBDA Exocet (which weigh 700-800 kg). However, the JF-17 can be equipped with two C-802 or CM-400AKG (see photos below), so the CM-400AKG being heavy does not limit the JF-17’s payload options. Chinese observers note that the CM-400AKG likely draws its lineage from the SY-400 short-range ballistic missile (SRBM), a missile with a range of 150-200 km and 200-300 kg warhead.[12][13]