Every summer the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducts a major air defense exercise at its western theater command’s air force experimental training base. The anti-aircraft brigade of the 79th group army was the main participant in this year’s drill, on August 22.
The exercise evaluated the unit’s radar system, command and control network, intercept capabilities, electronic and cyber warfare abilities, mobility and logistics. The batteries engaged a variety of aircraft, including the J-10, J-11, Mil Mi-171, Harbin Z-9 and an assortment of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles).
Reporting, Chinese state media gave particular attention to the Hongqi-16 (HQ-16), one of the PLA’s most prized surface-to-air missiles.
Earlier this month, video and photographic evidence surfaced online that shows China moving trainloads of HQ-16 and HQ-17 missiles to Tibet as the standoff with India at Doklam continues.
The HQ-16 is a third-generation medium-range air defense missile system. Inspired by the Russian Buk, the HQ-16 has a 40 km maximum range of fire. Cold-launched vertically, it takes 13 minutes for a moving HQ-16 to load and fire missiles armed with 70kg warheads.
The transporting of HQ missiles to Tibet shows the PLA is reinforcing its layered air defense arrangement in anticipation of Indian air power
The HQ-16 can lock-on eight targets and engage four simultaneously. Its missile has a claimed maximum flight speed of Mach 2.8, with a single-hit probability rate of between 70% and 98%. In 2016, an upgraded version known as the HQ-16B was unveiled with a greater range of fire at 70 km.
A battery of HQ-16 consists of four launch vehicles, a target searching radar vehicle, a tracking and guidance radar vehicle, a command and control vehicle, missile transport and reloading vehicles and power supply trucks. The HQ-16 is generally used to defend stationary assets.
The HQ-17, however, is highly mobile. Sitting on an all-terrain tracked chassis, the HQ-17 usually accompanies fast-moving armored units. An improved version of the Russian Tor-M1, the HQ-17 has a 12 km range of fire.
Like the HQ-16, the HQ-17 uses vertical cold launchers against enemy jets, helicopters, smart bombs, cruise missiles and UAVs. But unlike the former, one HQ-17 vehicle combines all functions of an HQ-16 battery, empowering it with greater mobility. It takes ten seconds for a moving HQ-17 to engage an enemy. Carrying eight 9M331 missiles with a maximum flight speed of Mach 2.3, an HQ-17 can engage two targets simultaneously.
The HQ-17’s claimed hit probability against cruise missiles is between 56% and 99%; against fighter jets it’s between 45% and 93%; and against helicopters 82% and 98%.
The transporting of HQ missiles to Tibet shows the PLA is reinforcing its layered air defense arrangement in anticipation of Indian air power. The systems’ suitability for operating on the high plateau was confirmed at an exercise, in May, in Tibet’s Tanggula Mountains.
When reflecting on the 1962 war with China, Indian generals often blame their country’s defeat on its misuse of air power. Many believe the war’s outcome would have been quite different had India’s air force participated in an offensive role.
A recent Vayu Aerospace study concluded that the PLA air force would be at a disadvantage in a future war due to Tibet’s extreme climate, which would will limit the payload and combat radius of Chinese aircraft.
Last year, India deployed supersonic BrahMos missiles to Arunachal Pradesh near Tibet. In June, the Indian army announced its plans to send a squadron of HAL Dhruv helicopters to the Chinese border. More recently, the Indian defense ministry approved a deal to purchase six US-made AH-64 Apache attack helicopters for the army aviation corps and announced that it is looking to procure 234 naval helicopters, at a cost of US$5 billion. On August 24, the Indian air force added six C-130J Super Hercules strategic aircraft to its Arjan Singh base in Panagarh, 470 km from Doklam.
The Chinese high command understands India’s assumption of achieving air supremacy in the next war. However the PLA is quietly putting together a neat little surprise for India’s flyboys.
Follow the author on Twitter @MrZiYang.
Yv Onne Koh India has had an effective 2 carrier Navy since the 1980s.
Yv Onne Koh China talks too much. Some one from China’s foreign ministry said, "PLA can move mountains". We are still waiting……..
That’s why they are building the cpec.they will no longer need the Indian ocean route and Pakistan would get an ally on the LOC now on the pretext of securing cpec
Santhosh Prabhakaran
Under Modi India has now asserted itself on the international arena. We now cannot say that we are peace loving and don’t poke our nose into others affairs . Supplying brahmos to Vietnam and not making peace with Pakistan , crushing the Kashmiris, buying out the Bangladeshis, coercing the Nepalese and now with China. I wish we keep focus on our problems rather than be jealous of growth of China. With spectre of nuclear war on two fronts I only wish I had the opportunity to migrate to some place safer both as an Indian and as a Muslim whose community members have been butchered barbarically and systematically with state support. Don’t talk about civility. I wish justice will prevail and the criminal politicians of India be punished for their crimes against Dalits,Muslims and christians
Yv Onne Koh : pure lie. India is sitting on Bhutanese territory and not the Chinese. India went there to support Bhutan under treaty obligation. India will sit there for ever. China can only evict India through war and that too if China wins the war, which is next to impossible.
Jing Wang This is the trouble with Chinese views. For them who ever does not agree with them is stupid. Only China is brave and rest of the world is coward. This is the result of their communist brain washing. This is why war is all the more necessary so that they know what is their worth.
Vivek Jaiswal so now it is clear that India has all the while been building up her navy to blockage the Dragon’s lifeline. Good move. Wait for the counter move. Good luck for trying to destroy the Dragon’s lifeline.
Santhosh Prabhakaran •
Now in China nobody takes India seriously. India broke international law by illegally trespassing the Sikkim China border, and refusing to withdraw despite repeated Chinese demand to withdraw.
The Chinese don’t want war with anyone, least of all India. As long as India withdraw, peace will prevail. Is that very difficult??? The Chinese are proud of their nation, and won’t allow India to trample on their sovereignty after 200 years of humiliation by foreign powers.
India wants to show that they are now a super power equal to the other powers but forgot that great power come with responsibility. India shouldn’t trample upon international law by rubbishing the 1890 treaty and trespassing into Chinese controlled Donglang. Instead of withdrawing despite admitting trespassing into Chinese controlled Donglang, India came out with pretext after pretext. The Chinese has shown remarkable restraint up till now. This kind of attitude will make India like what Japan was in WW2.
India wants to join the NSG but refuses to ratify the NPT, and blame the Chinese for obstructing their membership when in fact there are other countries objecting to their inclusion for failure to sign the NPT. India is demanding exceptional treatment. They think they should be accorded special status because they are now a super power.
India wanted Jaish-e-Mujahideen’s Masood Azhar designated as a terrorist but cannot furnish any proof. Jaish-e-Mujahideen is a jihadist group based in Pakistan that is intent on reuniting Kashmir with Pakistan.
About CPEC traversing Pakistan Kashmir, China is not alone; Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan had long crossed India’s sovereignty red lines when they signed the Quadrilateral Traffic in Transit Agreement (QTTA) with Pakistan in 1995 to use the Karakoram Highway passing through Gilgit-Baltistan as a transit corridor
Well said…!!!
Tobias Bjurefjäll you chinese people be on the dreams, china never won a war on any country till date, it only back stabs the all the countries and always fraud. Shorlty your army will get lessons, dont think if number of missiles or planes or army will save you, you will run of from tibet shortly and also your loving country pakisthan will be no more if war comes. India doesnot need china but always china needs indian business, if war comes all that will be vanished, your economy will be in slump, already it is now, you are gone, gone or those days, no counrty in the world cares for you
Even if war comes also, who ever wins always the looser is china only. It is doing business with india, lakhs of crores worth. All that will be vanished with a single stroke. In the business front india does not loose much. As we dont want anything from china but china is dependent on india for their products to sell.
Now, china will be learning lesson from india shortly, if war comes. India will attack pakisthan on the same time and take back POK from them and islamabad is not that far from india, it will be no more. Whatever china is doing now is purley cowardness, it will get it share of lesson shortly.
Kunwar Narayan 4 months ago people in China thought India was a peaceful country and eagerly sought to do bussiness with them. Then India broke international law by trespassing the Sikkim China border and stopped Chinese road building on the pretext that Bhutan invited them to intervene to maintain the status quo in Donglang which is under effective Chinese control. But there wasn’t any Bhutanese invitation to India for intervention. Then India accused China of breaching a tripartite agreement to maintain the status quo. Later India changed the wording from agreement to an understanding, meaning in fact there was no agreement.
Despite repeated demand by the Chinese to withdraw unconditionally, the Indian refused to withdraw, proposing mutual withdrawal. China is on territory under her effective control. Why should China withdraw. The Indian General declared that India can fight 2.5 wars simultaneously, and the defence minister reminded the Chinese that India now is not the India of 1962. Further Indian MSM and youtube were making shrill noises, threats, bluster, war mongering, provoking and daring China to attack. These has the effect of putting off the Chinese who until then have a favorable impression of India. This will ensure an entire generation of Chinese to look at India as an adversiary. Congrats to India on this one for being foolish. As M.K Bhadrakumar wrote China from now onwards will adopt an anti-India stand in her policy.
Far from not taking action, China will methodically prepare to smash the Indian aggressor to pieces. India’s neighbours will be relieved after the Indian imperialist is defeated. Cheers, Good Luck and God Bless. :))
Time to take revenge for the 1962 humiliation.
Rajendra Kumar India has shown the world who is boss by rubbishing the 1890 treaty and crossing the border into Sino-Bhutanese disputed territory under Chinese control. India has managed to stage a fait accompli until now. India will make the rule from now onwards. Bravo India. India can now confidently accuse the Chinese as being the aggressor, constantly threatening India, and refusing a perfectly reasonable proposal for mutual withdrawal, and the world will agree!!!. Wait for dawn to break and the truth to see the light of day.
Tobias Bjurefjäll LOL if what India did in 1971 is irrelevant than what China did in 1940s is more irrelevant. We liberated our nation and another. What you did was that you couldnt unify more than mainland. Great accomplishment.
Luca Taramelli India never attacked on any country to become bully. Tibet was a country of monks but china has captured and killed innocent Tibetans. Their leader Dali lama still living exile. Chinese policy has touched down level when they back stabbed unprepared Indian army while saying Indian Chinese are brother. Greediness doesn’t stop here, now South China Sea is sudden of all become Chinese property. Natural reefs become islands of PLA. When ever any Injustice will Born, some body has to take stand against it.One more example of Chinese greedy eyes on Bhutan. But India is not like before and we have strong will to defend our country and ally. We are ready to go all extende with real skill of fight what China has not seen. Truth is our power and will.
True, they can with a few missiles, but China can also intercept them, and China can target every major city in India and India cant do anything, its not China that would be a wastland…
Yv Onne Koh Terrible fighters? Childish assumption that clerly show the level of intelligens from your part, not worth answering.
Milind Naik I would tell you to read history after the comment you just made, China have won several wars the last 150 years and they have just as much battle experiance as Indian millitary have, its 2017 now, and what India did in 1971 as an example are irrelevant today.
India’ doesn’t recognise it own air warriors like 1971 war hero flying officer K.P Murlidhara(MIA) who was eloquently praised by the enemy pilot wing Comdr Salim Mirza Baig and said two best Indian pilot of 1971 Indo Pak war..IAf bilatedly recommended .MVC posthumously in2010,2014.but Indian govt didn’t consider saying Time bar.Recommendation should come with in 2 year of action.How stupid and absurd towards Brave soldiers.They give awards to politicians,celebrities,cricket stars, film stars etc.But Brave soldiers like Flying officer K.P Muralidharan who sacrificed for his mother country is not cared.
My several petttion to PM.President Amit Shah BJP president.Opp leader etc is in vain from 2008 till August 2017.Iam still Optistimistic this Govt will consider this case.K.Rajendran Nair