Manufacturer catalog

China Airborne Missile Academy

China Airborne Missile Academy is an AVIC-affiliated Luoyang research and production institute best known for designing and manufacturing Chinese air-to-air missiles, including PL-series short-range and beyond-visual-range missile families.

2 weapons

Public sources describe China Airborne Missile Academy as a Luoyang-based AVIC institute focused on air-to-air missiles, launchers, ground test equipment, and related airborne systems. Its public-facing history traces the organization to earlier missile research and industrial predecessors before later reorganization in Luoyang.

The academy's public footprint is fragmented across recruiting pages, defense-industry references, patent reporting, and specialist missile analysis. Those sources consistently place it in the AVIC system, associate it with the 612th Research Institute lineage, and describe a role centered on air-to-air weapons rather than general aircraft manufacture.

In the public catalog, the academy anchors the PL-15 family, the older PL-5 lineage, and the broader Chinese airborne-weapons ecosystem. The manufacturer context stays separate from weapon-use claims while preserving the production and design role that connects the academy to cataloged systems.

Air-to-air missilesAirborne weaponsMissile guidance systemsGround test equipment

Notable Systems

PL-15 / PL-15E, Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, Munitions

PL-15 / PL-15E

Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile

Public sources identify the academy as the Luoyang-based organization behind the PL-15 family.

Sources: IISS 2024 air-to-air missiles article, China Airborne Missile Academy recruitment portal
PL-5, Short-range infrared air-to-air missile, Munitions

PL-5

Short-range infrared air-to-air missile

IISS identifies PL-5 among PL-series air-to-air missiles produced by the academy or its predecessor organizations.

Sources: IISS China defense patents report

Manufacturer History

  1. Predecessor roots established

    Public recruiting materials trace the academy's roots to 1961, before later reorganizations and mergers in Luoyang.

    Sources: China Airborne Missile Academy recruitment portal, IISS China defense patents report

  2. Current academy formally established in Luoyang

    IISS reports that the academy was officially established in 2001 after merging earlier predecessor organizations, including the Xi'an academy and Hanzhong Nanfeng Company.

    Sources: IISS China defense patents report

  3. Automated production line highlighted publicly

    South China Morning Post reported the academy's flexible, highly automated production line while covering PL-15E manufacture in Luoyang.

    Sources: SCMP PL-15E factory profile

Predecessors
China Airborne Missile Academy in Xi'anHanzhong Nanfeng Company
Website links
Official recruitment portal2026 campus recruitment noticeAVIC recruitment page

English-language sources use several overlapping names, including China Airborne Missile Academy, China Air-to-Air Missile Research Institute, China Air-to-Air Missile Institute, and CAMA. China Airborne Missile Academy is used as the canonical English name here, and the Luoyang location is used because reliable public sources consistently place the institute there.

Manufacturer Sources

  • China Airborne Missile Academy recruitment portalPublisher: 51job | Note: Supports the academy's recruiting identity, 1961 origin claim, AVIC affiliation, and professional scope in air-to-air missiles, launchers, ground test equipment, and airborne optoelectronics. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • 2026 campus recruitment noticePublisher: State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council | Note: Supports the academy's public recruiting identity and the AVIC-published 2026 campus recruitment notice. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • IISS China defense patents reportPublisher: International Institute for Strategic Studies | Note: Supports the Luoyang location, the 2001 formal establishment, and the predecessor institutes in Xi'an and Hanzhong. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • IISS 2024 air-to-air missiles articlePublisher: International Institute for Strategic Studies | Note: Supports the academy's Luoyang-linked PL-15 role and its specialization in radar-guided air-to-air missile development. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • SCMP PL-15E factory profilePublisher: South China Morning Post | Note: Supports the academy's automated Luoyang production line and manufacturing context for PL-15E missiles. | Accessed: 2026-06-21
  • Wikimedia Commons Luoyang institute photoPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the reusable CC BY-SA 4.0 image and identifies the pictured Luoyang building as the China Air-to-Air Missile Institute. | Accessed: 2026-06-21

Produced weapons

Category

Munitions

Standalone missiles, bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and guided or unguided explosive payloads.

2/2
PL-15 / PL-15E, Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, Munitions2025 India-Pakistan ConflictPL-15 / PL-15EBeyond-visual-range air-to-air missileBuilt in: ChinaThe PL-15 is a Chinese active-radar beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, with the PL-15E export version documented in Pakistani service during the 2025 India-Pakistan Conflict. Its long range, AESA seeker, data-link guidance, and recovered debris made it one of the most closely watched munitions from the May 2025 air battle, although the effects of individual missile shots remain contested in public sources.