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.
But the chimese missiles are made in china naa . So its a chinese manufacture na . They might explode before functioning na .Our chinese products not reliable naa.
What Brahmos are you talking about.
Better spend your money building more Toilets.
Look who is talking peace. A notorious country supporting rogue nations of the world Pakistan and North Korea. Pakistan is an epicentre of islamic terrorism that has disturbed peace in different countries of world. And China has a history of cowardly betrayal that made India repent in 1962 but not again. We gave you bloody nose in 1962 and again in 1988. India has never ever invaded any country to win or grab territories whereas China has territorial disputes with almost every neighbouring country because of its aggressive colonialism. You can make those pigeater Pakistan as your colony but we are mighty Indians. History proves that we made even Alexander to go back. Your war mongoring media and officials have been barking like hell for the past 2 months but had not been gutsy for any misadventure. We to believed in China as peace loving nation but you leaders betrayed us. And you know why you celebrate 1962 because we were just a 15 year old independent nation and also ill equipped. World has seen this time how China has bowed down in Doklam. So be where you are and teach this divy Chinese lesson of peace to Pakistan and North Korea.
Jing Wang And tell your Chinese officilas to shut their mouth. What a hell of a bully nation you are,
Yash Kumar we have to fear the chimps indeed
Yv Onne Koh …all we are going to do….bann chinese imports..and block bay of bengal and indian ocean..that should be enough.if china think they can clear indian ocen for their shiplines…its madness.india should engage to target chinese marcentile ships if the war breaks.that would break chinese economy..only for this…china oils pakistan on kashmir issue..so pakistani ports could be used to avoud the bay of bengal where indian nevy rules.
Kai Chan .dream.it cost nothing.
China have most advance weapons .china destroy india in few minutes.india is third world terrorist country
Yv Onne Koh,lndia doesn’t reqr chinese support or beg china as paks does but can china shut down it’s business in India?India is unlikely a beggar nation pak.Hence wrong to underestimate.
Mr.koh,what u really thought about India is true.Undoubtedly India is a peaceful nation.That doesn’t mean all time a neighbour nation would make intrusions and flex muscle very often is tolerable.If u allege India made an intrusion to a disputed territory,then does ur army tolerate?War may not b the solution but that doesn’t mean self respect cannot b ignored at any cost.Tit for tat is the way……….
Syed Iqbal Asif. You palkies dont even bother to present your own mother to some one
A brainwashed indian kid :/
I m an indian and ik PLA is far stronger than indian arms! But who wants war?
I m with peace
Jing Wang – it’s China who is war mongering and raring to go for a conflict, not only with us but with all its neighbors, on some pretext or other
China a country whose already built its own space station and has a current economy of 11 trillion with a history of already having beaten India in war in the past and has never been conquered. China also happens to be the first country in the world to build a quantum computer, built the fastest super computer in the world and has also launched its own space mission with rockets and everything built in China, astronauts trained in China etc.
India a country where majority of its citizens still don’t have access to toilets and whose economy currently sits at 2 Trillion and does not have any history of having beaten China in war and also has been conquered.
Odds don’t favor you India.
Sankara Menon Lights out for india i told you that you will retreat and thats exactly what happen wise decision otherwise chineese missle system would had put you back in the stone age where you actualy belong you people could not handel a country like Pakistan which is a 10th of a size of you
Is China, pakistan & north korea unity like Adolf Hitlers Germany, japan, & allied countries going to create III world war.?
Alok Singh it is true that Nehru openly declared that Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai and when war broke out in 1962 the world believed Indian claim that China attacked India unprovoked. The whole world condemned the Chinese. India won the sympathy of the world. That is until Neville Maxwell revealed Nehru’s Forward Policy of going beyond the invalid McMahon Line and unilaterally moving the common boundary.
Now that the truth is out and the world realised they had been lied to by India. Seriously can India this time manage to hookwink the world again???
In fact delving further Nehru had been hand in glove with the CIA since beginning 1956, allowing the CIA to use Indian territory to recruit Tibetan guerrillas to fight Chinese troops, with a base in Kalimpong, India.
Nehru glib pronouncements about a peaceful and harmless India which doesn’t think of conquering or attacking any country were all fake. The record of India’s expansion and annexation of smaller states is clear for all to see. Territories were annexed all the way through the 20th century, and some are still changing hands in the 21st, to give you a few examples:
…
Republic of India annexed Hyderabad
Republic of India annexed Jammu and Kashmir
Pakistan annexed part of Kashmir
People’s Republic of China part of Kashmir
Republic of India annexed French India (Pondicherry, Yanam, Karaikal,Mahe )
Republic of India annexed Portuguese India (Goa, Daman and Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli)
…
Republic of India annexed Sikkim
USSR annexed Afganistan
…
India’s track record with it’s neighbours isn’t exactly brilliant, as there’s also the:
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Sino-Indian War
Harpreet Singh wow so ready to fight. Calm down. Wait for day break and see the truth.
James Denk Tell that to Global times and other Chinese outfits who are playing the psych war for the last 4 months loosing all resect! You want peace sit on the table, negotiate and compromise.. or fight and still sit on the table and compromise. There will be no clear winner in this war..
Sharma Prashant why don’t your MFA come up with the Bhutanese letter of invitation. That will settle this issue. India will have a very strong legal leg to stand on. Such a simple solution. Then you wont have waste your time and effort to concoct your story.