HQ-9

Description: The HQ-9 is a long-range surface-to-air missile intended to counter a wide spectrum of airborne threats such as supersonic aircraft, helicopters cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). It was designed by the China Academy of Defence Technology to counter targets at ranges of up to 200 kilometers and altitudes of up to 30,000 meters. The HQ-9 missile is utilized by a mobile ground-based air defense known as HQ-9A and its naval version which is being provided to surface combatants.
The HQ-9 missile development started in the 1980s and leverages features from both the Patriot and S-300 surface-to-air missiles. The HQ-9 has a track-via-missile terminal guidance system and proximity fuze taken from the Patriot and 'cold-launch' and aerodynamics from tube-launched S-300 missiles. Cold launch means the missile's rocket engine ignites after the missile has been ejected from its launch tube. In comparison, Western vertically launched missiles ignite inside the launch tube which requires sophisticated pipelines to evacuate the exhaust gas.
The FT-2000 is a proposed version designed to counter airborne radar emitters such as E-3 AWACS. To do so, the FT-2000 is equipped with a passive radar seeker that tracks radar emissions from EW aircrafts. Both missiles, HQ-9 and FT-2000, may be promoted to the export market. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) first deployed the HQ-9 missile in 1997. The HQ-9 along with the S-300 missile systems are the successors to the PLA's aging HQ-2/SA-2 Guideline air defense systems.