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.
Oh Ashish Prasad keep calm, keep calm. No need for vulgar words. If the truth hurts that is because truth hurts.
Madan Shiva Shankar Mudhiraj really??? You think India’s neighbours haven’t learned about the fate of Sikkim, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland & Kashmir ? The attempted coup in Mauritius in 1983? Blockage of Nepal in 2015 ? Annexing many districts of Nepal.See link http://goa-invasion-1961.blogspot.my/2013/04/indian-invasion-in-nepal-is-not-limited.html. And now trying to snuff out Bhutan’s independence by declaring Bhutan to be a protectorate which it is not . Read link http://wangchasangey.blogspot.my/2017/08/the-strategy-behind-india-doklam.html
Sankara Menon why not read Roberts Lindsey’s blog High Brow on how Indians are viewed by others. This is the link https://robertlindsay.wordpress.com/2013/07/05/hindu-troll-posting-as-a-japanese/
Remember the war of 1962
Kunwar Narayan it will take hardly a week for Chinese to annihilate India
Jing Wang true
I am at pain to see the Asians fighting over small land dispute . Of course, Chinese aggression is not praiseworthy. Else they wouldn’t boast Arunachal Pradesh as their land only because the residents of AP match Chinese . It’s like Asian nazis in red uniform. India’s act on the Doklam was necessary due to security reasons . Where is the guarantee that China would never cut the Indian supply line near Doklam and attack siliguri ? China should settle down. There are countless mouths China need to feed inside the country . I strongly believe, if there were no 2500 km of Himalayan range and our superior soldiers , China would invade India by now. There are no tigers left in China . They all died before the sex hunger Chinese people .most animals even took to their heels due to the ever hungry mouths of Chinese people.
Coming to the point , a soldier fights for his own country ,so the people of that country follow it. DO NOT EXPECT , WE , THE INDIANS ,WILL REACT NEUTRAL ON THIS EVENT . China , stop ur aggression and provoke other country like North Korea.
Kar Alvarez bro.. thats what I call Axis of Eviil.. Pakistan – China -NK !!
Jing Wang we have all idea about peace .. but who is war monger here?? PLA media for sure.. ! peace comes at a price..!
Syed Iqbal Asif do you think the cpec will get away so easy?! Wait till it starts functioning! The whole world knows the joke these chinese commit on nations it engages with.
Syed Iqbal Asif And become a stooge! You are already into a debt trap! CPEC projects will be dropped as a hot potato similar to Coal imports of North Korea! wait & see!
Anyways all being said and done what happened to the road that was being built in Doklam?? Dude you guys are a bunch of jokers! Just making a fool of ursleves infront of the whole world! �
Just because HQ systems are similar to S-300 doesn’t mean its the same as S-300. The range, speed & other capabilities and capacities are much inferior to the S-300. Even turkey turned down this system as not meeting its baseic requirements. Chinese propoganda wants to show their system as invincible; let them demonstrate its efficiacy against their own SU-35, then we will see until then its just hot air!
Yv Onne Koh China has historically bulldozed its understanding of sovereignty down all its neighbours’ throat. The present standoff is just a small manifestation of what it has been doing for decades with Tibet, Xinjiang, Mongolia, India among others.
Its pretext of usurping territories is based on some vague historical context, imagined or teal or some sense of cultural influence during a long bygone era. That’s how it annexed Tibet and has been harking on Arunachal Pradesh which it calls as southern Tibet. India’s stance is more practical- hold on to the territories north of the highest ridge line in Himalayas while anything south belongs to India. This even China realized and had to retreat in 1962 after overrunning Indian defences but still needles India over its sovereignty. In fact China has been the biggest stumbling block in resolving the boundary issue and has been procrastinating the resolution through out the 20 rounds of dialogue on this issue. China rather uses the talks phase to delay an issue until it can capture the territory through strong arm tactics.
So stop believing that your victim card will be accepted to the world.
India was never a nation before British colony, they were British Rajas w/hundreds of languages & political parties w/deep conflicting interests and more than 20 official languages. Claiming to be the world biggest democracy (a phony), still has to show a "caste certificate" for a government position a brutal discrimination disguised as affirmative action – like the Nazis, its horrible treatment of the disabled & women the worst in the G20 with Delhi, Kolkata & Mumbai now competing for the rape city title.
Modi a Hindu nationalist & vegetarian (Hitler also a vegetarian) as governor is responsible for Gujarat riot & massacre of Muslims and was barred from entering the United States. His regime "overpaid" USD billions for fancy foreign weapons (more kickbacks for elites?) while the majority suffers, and w/ Modi’s currency-cancel policy transferring wealth from the poor to the rich (more black money?). Since 1995 300K Indian farmers committed suicide, its brutal oppression injust toward the minorities w/ States (religious) rioting, Mumbai protesting, national bank employees striking & 27 active insurgents wanting independence chaos everywhere. During election mass illiterate peasants line up under scorching sun looking like undeveloped Africa casting ballots not understanding what they are doing, then returning to their miserable no-hope-existence… many diving in lakes of garbage just for survival.
Half the India population still defecate in the open w/ filth contamination everywhere ……do rat worship at Rajasthan……. people barely hanging onto outside of traveling trains even derailing …. 300 mil people without clean water and 300 mil illiterate adults….the planet biggest cesspool of most corruption – beyond description…..mass children died at Gorakhpur due to hospital officials not paying oxygen bill……decent freeway, airport & modern buildings infrastructure almost non-existence except pockets in Bangalore & Mumbai etc……endless festivals/holidays a productivity nightmare & a pipe dream for Modi’s "Made in India".
Despite bragging of its IT success (employed tiny 25 mil people), India is a country with its corrupt ruling elites having "ABSOLUTELY NO ACCOUNTABILITY" to its people, barely see corrupt Indian elites/officials get punished. Now even falsifying school textbooks that Gandi wasn’t assassinated (by Hindu fanatic Godse), China lost the war in 1962, Maharana Pratap defeated the Mughal that ruled India for 331 years, ignoring Nehur first president/ longest serving PM etc. etc…..making India now a joker country of no credibility.
Unless India elites (proud of speaking their funny "Inglish") face up to its dark hubris braggadocio colonial slave mentality (inferiority complex) constantly touting their fake GDP numbers, which is predicated on the misery & looting of its majority hapless poor. Indian elites should be really ashamed of themselves why they run their country like this….be aware of karma, Shiva & Kali is watching.
The border dispute is instigated by Western powers. Britain, Israel and the United States pulls the strings and India dances. This is the second armed border dispute India has initiated since her independence from Britain.
Chinese Commie govt look really silly
with their daily bluster..Ha ha ha, almost like a spoilt child, really pathetic.
Cpec will be the economic death of Pakistan
It is a east india company
China lent Sri Lanka a billion dollars for a port and then they ended up owning the port and land around it
There is no free lunch
The Pakistani generals are selling their country to china for a few dollars of kick backs
Future generations of Pakistan will rue this decision
You talk sense.
Jing Wang- I agree with you . Both country have lots of things if well planned and done could have more benefit to the citizen of both country than this senseless war. I hope some wise mediator will soon intervine.