The 78th Army Air Defense Brigade of the Northern Theater of China recently conducted a live-fire exercise of the HQ-17A short-range air defense missile system, demonstrating for the first time the precise strike capability of the single-vehicle, double-launch interception of dual targets by this type of air defense missile.
HQ-17A (Red Flag 17A or Hongqi-17A) is a Chinese army brigade-class air defense missile. It realizes the high integration of missile storage/launch and electronic scanning radar, photoelectric device, data antenna and other equipment. It can complete the entire process of search, command and control, and launch with a single vehicle. It can quickly maneuver, transfer positions, and has a maximum speed of 90 km/h, and can be in the mobile state of travel to launch missiles to intercept airborne targets, to provide ground troops with air defense security.
In the training of the 78th Group Army of China, a launch vehicle launched two missiles simultaneously to complete the interception and destruction of two incoming targets. Intercepting two targets with two shots is much more difficult than intercepting a single shot. It requires simultaneous tracking and guidance of the dual targets, as well as comprehensive and accurate calculations of the speed, altitude, and distance of the dual targets at the same time. HQ-17A single-vehicle dual-launch interception of dual targets doubles the effectiveness of air defense in the same time, effectively preventing enemy aircraft from breaking through the air defense fire network at ultra-low altitude.
The HQ-17A uses two sets of four-unit launch boxes with a total of eight surface-to-air missiles, allowing for the rapid modular change of ammunition, with strong firepower continuity, further ensuring air defense efficiency.