The Chinese language Folks’s Liberation Army has unveiled a protracted rumoured next-generation lengthy vary air defence system, the HQ-29, the launch autos from which had been noticed in Beijing throughout rehearsals for an upcoming army parade scheduled for September 3. Six-axle transporter erector launchers every carry two massive missile containers, though the opposite autos within the system housing radars and command programs haven’t been seen. Chinese language media shops have described the HQ-29 as a “double-barrelled satellite tv for pc hunter,” with its function being just like that of the Russian S-500, albeit with an apparently larger concentrate on anti-satellite warfare moderately than ballistic missile defence.
The HQ-29 provides a brand new tier to China’s lengthy vary air defence capabilities. Instantly under it’s the HQ-19 system unveiled in 2024 which is relied on for defence in opposition to medium and intermediate vary missile assaults, and makes use of kinetic kill know-how in some ways equally to the American THAAD system. Beneath the HQ-19 is by far essentially the most broadly used lengthy vary system, the HQ-9, which is broadly analogous to the Russian S-400 and American MIM-104 Patriot, and offers defence in opposition to quick, medium, and intermediate vary ballistic missiles in addition to all types of air respiratory plane. Past these three lengthy vary programs, decrease degree programs such because the medium vary HQ-16 and quick vary FK-3000 present additional layers to China’s air defence community, which is broadly thought of the world’s most formidable. The HQ-29 has no analogues within the Western world, with China being solely the second nation to subject such a system after Russia’s a lot delayed introduction of the S-500 system into service in 2021.
