China obtained information on the 9B1103M in 1998. Additionally, the PL-12 did not use the original 9B-1103M radar seeker, only incorporating partial technologies from it.
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I know, but 9B1103 was derived from 9B1348 and I would say the PL12 seeker probably was really a 9B1348 seeker from R-77, cause obviously China switched to full domestic seekers later, but the exact time they got these seekers I am not sure.
Rumour goes China got earlier versions of 9B1103 tech from Ukraine, which were designed for R37 and Buk, but IDK to what extent are they the same as the Russian versions cause they are in theory developed separately.
That isn’t entirely true though, China acquired R-27 production license around the same time.
The claim that the PL-12 uses the 9B-1103M seeker is a misconception. China’s missile institutes did not import the physical 9B1103M units during the PL-12’s development. Agat provided technical collaboration and consulting, not direct hardware transfer.
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Ukrainian involvement is even less likely, as Sino-Ukrainian defense cooperation began much later. The 9B-1348 is also incorrect – as Liang stated, the PL-12’s seeker incorporated new technologies that were still immature during the R-77’s development phase.
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To my knowledge, China has never domestically produced R-27s.
I think they have, or at least upgraded them, they bought production license from Ukraine I am pretty sure, from artem. Cause R27s are pretty bad at BVR, and even WVR it is pretty much useless, especially when compared to AMRAAM and MICA. PLA then looked to Ukraine for upgrades of seeker.
China did apparently buy them in large amounts as well, but some say rather than purchase they are really ‘upgrades’.
Here it says R27R but since no other missile upgrades on this websites seem to be shown they could be ERs as well.
No documents or records related to R-27 production licensing have been found within China, strongly suggesting this is a misunderstanding. The only verified information pertains to China seeking guidance system upgrades for R-27s from Artem, driven by Russia’s high pricing versus Ukraine’s cost-effective alternatives.
Both are true. In the mid-1990s, after Artem representatives engaged with Chinese in Beijing, the company upgraded existing R-27 missiles previously acquired by China from Russia and directly sold several new batches of R-27s to China.