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| TL-7 (KD-88) Image: Wendell Minnick |
Wendell Minnick
SINGAPORE — At the Singapore Airshow this week, the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corp. (CATIC) provided brochures of two new missiles, the TL-2 and the TL-7.
TL stands for “Thunder Lighting” (Tien Lei), though the configurations and missions are unrelated. CATIC is a Chinese state-owned company that manages export sales of aviation defense and commercial products. It is similar to Russia’s Rosoboronexport in function. Both the TL-2 and TL-7 are actually products of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
CATIC officials indicate the TL-7 is an anti-ship missile that can be launched from fighter aircraft (TL-7A), ground-based units (TL-7B), and ships (TL-7C). The turbojet engine allows it to hit cruising speeds of 0.8-0.85 Mach with a range of 180 km (110 miles).
According to Richard Fisher, a senior fellow on Asian military affairs with the International Assessment and Strategy Center, the TL-7 is making its debut as the export model of the KD-88 precision-guided air to surface missile that entered PLA Air Force service on the Xian-built JH-7A fighter bombers in 2006 and 2007.
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