The HQ-9 or Hong Qi 9 is China’s new generation medium- to long-range, active radar homing air defence missile.
Initially an indigenous design, the HQ-9 missile was said to have undergone a redesign to incorporate Russian rocket technology after the acquisition of S-300 5V55-series missiles from Russia. There are unconfirmed rumors that the HQ-9 uses guidance systems that are similar to those developed in U.S. Patriot missile technology.
The naval HQ-9 appears to be identical to the land-based variant. Its naval type HHQ-9 is equipped in the PLAN Type 052C Lanzhou class destroyer in VLS launch tubes.
The land-based HQ-9 system has an anti-radiation variant, known as the FT-2000 for export. The export designation for air defense version is FD-2000 (with FD stands for Fang Dun, meaning defensive shield), and its developer China National Precision Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CPMIEC) first made it public at the Africa Aerospace and Defence Exhibition held at Cape Town in March 2009. The HQ-9 had also being submitted by CPMIEC for Turkey's T-LORAMIDS program to acquire 12 long range air defense systems.
Missile
Similar to the Russian S-300V, the HQ-9 is a two-stage missile. The first stage has a diameter of 700 mm and the 2nd stage 560 mm, with a total mass of almost 2 tons and a length of 6.8m. The missile is armed with a 180 kg warhead, has a maximum speed of Mach 4.2. and has a maximum range of 200 km. The thrust vector control (TVC) of HQ-9 is the most obvious visual identification that distinguish it from S300V: TVC of HQ-9 is exposed and thus can be observed from the side, while TVC of S300V is not exposed. The HQ-9's guidance system is composed of inertial guidance plus mid-course uplink and active radar terminal guidance systems.
The system first used a missile in a box-like launcher canted at an angle, just like the MIM-104 Patriot. However the missile was very large because of China's limited experience with solid-fuel rockets. Due to Russian assistance and technology transfers, the missile and launcher are in their present form, a transporter erector launcher with missiles inside a cylindrical container. The missile apparently has a limited anti ballistic missile capability.
Radars
The HQ-9 employs an enlarged and improved version of the KS-1 (a medium-range PRC SAM) SJ-212. This radar has greater similarities to the MIM-104 Patriot's MPQ-53 than the S-300's 30N6 (Flap-Lid) series, working in the NATO G-band (4–6 GHz) as a search and targeting radar. This could be due to an alleged transfer of Patriot technology to China. The radar can search a 120 degree arc in azimuth and 0-90 degrees in elevation out to 300 km, with a peak power output on 1MW (average 60 kW). The radar is credited as being able to track 100 targets and guides up to 6 missiles to 6 targets.
The HQ-9A supplements this with the brigade level HT-233 radar. A UHF radar, it is credited with a detection range of 120 km, scanning 360 degrees in azimuth and 0-65 degrees in elevation. It can track 100 targets and designate 50 for engagements.
HQ-9 Variants
- HQ-9
- HHQ-9 — Naval version.
- HQ-9A — Upgraded version, first tested in 1999 and service entry in 2001.
- HHQ-9A — Ship-borne naval version of HQ-9A. Eight 6-cell vertical launch silos, of cylindrical shape and using "cold launch" method, mounted on the Type 052C destroyer (48 missiles in total).
- HQ-9B — reportedly tested in February 2006.
| HQ-9 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Surface-to-air missile |
| Place of origin |  People's Republic of China |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1997 |
| Used by | People's Liberation Army People's Liberation Army Navy |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | CPMIEC |
| Produced | 1980s |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 1300 kg |
| Length | 6.8 m |
| | |
| Warhead weight | 180 kg |
| | |
| Engine | Two-stage solid propellant rocket |
| Operational range | 200 km (slant range) |
| Flight ceiling | 30 km (98,425 ft) |
| Speed | Mach 4.2 |
| Guidance system | Inertial guidance with mid-course update and terminal active radar homing |
| Launch platform |
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