Currently, the main Chinese long-range air defense system is the HQ-9 complex. It was HQ-9 that became the first Chinese air defense system capable of intercepting ballistic missiles. At the same time, the external similarity of the Chinese air defense system with the Soviet / Russian S-300 system is very great, which raises a popular question: is this complex a Chinese development of its own or a copy of the Russian anti-aircraft missile system?
The Chinese long-range anti-aircraft missile system HQ-9 (HongQi-9, "Red Banner 9", export designation FD-2000), like its Russian counterpart, is designed to destroy enemy aircraft, helicopters and cruise missiles at all altitudes of their possible combat application, in all weather conditions, day and night. The HQ-9 became the first Chinese air defense system to learn to intercept tactical ground-to-ground ballistic missiles. Most likely, it can intercept ballistic targets within a radius of up to 30 kilometers. Experts call the HQ-9 one of the most advanced Chinese-made anti-aircraft missile systems. This air defense system is characterized by high combat effectiveness in a difficult jamming environment, including the massive use of various air attack weapons by the enemy.
Today, both in Russia and in the West, almost all experts are confident that the HQ-9 would not have been born without the Soviet / Russian S-300 air defense system. At the same time, since the deterioration of Soviet-Chinese relations, Beijing has not received any help from Moscow in the development of anti-aircraft guided missiles and air defense systems. For a long period of time, the PLA was armed with the Soviet S-75 "Desna" complexes (according to NATO codification SA-2 Guideline), which were the most long-range Chinese air defense systems. In parallel, work was underway in China to create short and medium-range air defense systems, which included the HQ-61 and HQ-6 complexes.
Launcher complex HQ-9
By the 1990s, when China initiated a large-scale modernization of its armed forces, the Chinese army still lacked adequate long-range air defense systems, while the Soviet S-300PMU air defense system and the American Patriot were adopted back in 1980. years. It is known that the first prototypes of the Chinese HQ-9 complex appeared at about the same time, but the development of the complex was carried out very slowly. The engineers of the China Academy of Defense Technology, later renamed the Second Aerospace Academy, which was part of the CASIC Corporation (China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation), worked on the creation of this air defense system. The development of a long-range air defense system has been carried out here since the early 1980s. Work on the Red Banner-9 complex was carried out with varying success until the mid-1990s, and the complex was finally adopted by the People's Liberation Army of China only at the very end of the 20th century.
The adoption of the HQ-9 complex into service was preceded by a very definite and curious fact. In 1993, Beijing got the opportunity to acquire the first batch of Russian S-300PMU1 anti-aircraft missile systems. The Celestial Empire immediately took advantage of this opportunity. It is believed that it was the design solutions and technical features of this complex that were largely borrowed by the Chinese side to continue work on the creation of an air defense system of its own production. It is no coincidence that the HQ-9 was brought to the stage of adoption only a few years after the appearance of the S-300 complexes in China.
According to Russian data, these complexes were literally disassembled to a screw for their study. The use of reverse engineering methods allowed the PRC to bring its own HQ-9 complex to mind. At the same time, the Celestial Empire assures that their engineers independently developed the air defense system, without resorting to copying. It is likely that, up to a certain point, it was so. At the initial stage, the Chinese really could work on the complex on their own, resorting only to their own strengths and capabilities. But the very fact that the HQ-9 was adopted only after the purchase of the S-300PMU1 complexes from the Russian Federation suggests that the HQ-9 and S-300PMU1 are clearly linked. As noted in the publication The National Interest, in the West, almost everyone shares the Russian version, according to which the HQ-9 was created on the basis of the S-300.
Launcher of the S-300 complex in Moscow, 2009
Moreover, the purchase by Beijing in 2004 of the new Russian S-300PMU2 air defense systems provided the Chinese side with the opportunity to further develop the HQ-9 complexes of its own production. Soon after the acquisition of new Russian air defense systems in China, they began mass production of a modernized version of the complex under the designation HQ-9A with improved anti-missile capabilities and new electronics. In the future, work on the modernization of the system was continued, which led to the emergence of an updated version of the HQ-9B, the maximum firing range of which, according to information disseminated by China, increased to 250-300 kilometers. For the first time, this complex was presented in 2016 at a military exhibition in Zhuhai. Experts do not exclude that the acquisition by China of modern Russian air defense systems S-400 "Triumph" will allow the country to further improve the capabilities of its long-range anti-aircraft missile system.
It is already known that the Chinese HQ-9 air defense systems were put on operational duty on the islands located in the South Korean Sea. But Russia should be much more concerned about the fact that China is actively promoting its complex on the international market. It is worth noting that the HQ-9 is a fairly developed version of the air defense system, the prices for which are still lower than for the Russian export versions of the S-300 complex. Taking into account the specifics of Sino-Indian relations, it cannot be ruled out that India's acquisition of Russian S-400 Triumph air defense systems will push Pakistan to purchase Chinese HQ-9 systems, which by that time can be refined and modernized to an even higher level, with taking into account the use of solutions and technologies of the S-400 complex. And if Pakistan is only a potential customer of the Chinese complexes, then Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are already operating a small number of HQ-9 systems purchased from China. Thus, Beijing is increasing its presence in the arms market of the countries of the former USSR. At the same time, the perfection of the Chinese air defense system and its possible technical superiority over the export versions of the S-300 complexes, which Chinese engineers like to talk about, raises reasonable doubts so far.
Launchers of the HQ-9 complex during exercises, end of April 2017
The story with the further development of the HQ-9 complex resembles a similar story with the Chinese counterparts of the Soviet / Russian multifunctional Su-27 fighter. China has seriously modernized its armed forces and industry, having received in the 1990s the opportunity to acquire a number of the best examples of Soviet weapons with the subsequent production of their counterparts and further modernization. Gradually, China is acquiring more and more advanced weapons systems in Russia in order to keep pace with the times. Considering that Russia continues to export the latest weapons to China, as is the case with the S-400 Triumph air defense system, Moscow is apparently confident that the modernized versions of the Chinese HQ-9 air defense system created on their basis will not be able to compete with Triumph on the international arms market.
