China is set to unveil its Hongqi-19 (HQ-19) missile defense system at the Zhuhai Airshow 2024 this week.
Often compared to the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, the HQ-19 is a ballistic missile defense system capable of both exo- and endo-atmospheric interception at up to 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles).
The system includes a pair of 8×8 wheeled transporter erector launchers with six missiles each.
It uses a cold-launch at a steep, near-vertical, angle from the rear of the launch vehicle for optimized missile launch.
Also included in the system is a command and control system and an integrated radar with a detection range of 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles).
The HQ-19 was developed in the late 1990s under China’s 863 Program. It has undergone multiple tests over the years, including the interception of targets at altitudes over 200 kilometers (124 miles) and speeds of up to 10,000 meters (32,808 feet) per second, according to Resonant News.
The Chinese government announced the system’s successful trial in 2021, the outlet added.
Intended Roles
According to the Atlantic Council, the HQ-19 is a derivative of China’s HQ-9 surface-to-air missile system, which in turn is an offshoot of Russia’s S-300.
It can intercept its targets in mid course or terminal flight phase and “has not yet publicly been deployed and is presumed not to have the capability to defeat an ICBM-class target,” the DC-based think tank wrote. “However, it could possibly be adapted to do so in the future,” it added.
China began developing its missile defense capability in the mid-1990s, likely in response to the Gulf War of 1991 wherein the coordinated US air and missile strikes significantly degraded Iraqi military capability.
According to the Atlantic Council, the capability is intended to dispel doubts about China’s resilience to a US or Russian first missile strike and also against the growing sophistication of India’s nuclear arsenal.
Another intended purpose could be the protection of Beijing’s expanding intercontinental ballistic missile silos from potential missile strikes.
It could also be deployed to protect military command and control locations and critical infrastructure such as the Three Gorges Dam.