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the hongqi 9 surface-to-air missile, unveiled at the 2009 national day military parade, is a third-generation surface-to-air missile weapon system independently developed by china. as a major milestone in china's air defense field, it has the capabilities to resist saturation attacks, operate in complex electromagnetic environments, and intercept the capability of this air strike weapon is the backbone of the air defense combat system.

if the s300 is regarded as the su-27 among air defense missiles, then the hongqi 9 is equivalent to the j-10 among air defense missiles. this fully illustrates the correctness of china's insistence on independence and digestion of the imported two-legged approach. foreign monks will chant sutras again, and no matter how good the anti-aircraft missiles they buy are, they are not as good as those independently developed.

(hongqi 9b displayed by the chinese air force)

r&d process

in the 1990s, sino-russian relations recovered, and the military and technical cooperation between the two countries was back on track. the highlight of this period was the field of air defense. the world-renowned s300 air defense system entered service in china. the introduction of s300 not only solved the combat readiness needs of the troops at that time , which has greatly improved the level of homeland air defense technology and promoted the progress of the country's military industry science and technology. the one with the greatest impact is the long-range surface-to-air missile system known as "project 9", which is the red flag 9 that we are familiar with today.

(russian-made s300 missiles introduced by china)

the development of the long-range surface-to-air missile system of "project 9" started in the mid-1980s, and is under the responsibility of the second academy of aerospace science and industry corporation. at that time, domestic relevant technology research and development reserves were insufficient, and project progress was slow. through the introduction and use of the s300 air defense system, as well as in-depth research on similar western air defense weapons during the gulf war and other opportunities, "project 9" has made targeted adjustments and improvements in technical and tactical requirements and other aspects. in the late 1990s, "project no. 9" completed technical calibration and military testing and began small-scale trials. in 2005, the chinese air force officially installed a new surface-to-air missile system named hongqi 9.

missile overview

the hongqi 9 missile has a cylindrical body, a conical warhead, and four trapezoidal tail rudders at the bottom. it is significantly different in appearance from the 5v55r missile used in the russian-made s300p system and the 48n6e missile used in the s300v system. the diameter of the missile is about 0.7 meters, the length of the missile is about 6.8 meters, the total weight of the missile is about 1.3 tons, and the warhead weighs 180 kilograms. it uses a small two-stage solid fuel engine, with a maximum range of about 120 kilometers, a minimum range of 6 kilometers, and a minimum shooting height of 25 meters, with a maximum shooting height of more than 25 kilometers and a maximum flight speed of mach 4.

the launch vehicle of the hongqi 9 uses four storage and transportation launch tubes. after the hydraulic device is erected, the missile is ejected from the tubes in a cold launch method at a vertical angle. the hongqi 9 system uses the sj212 phased array search/fire control radar. a single antenna can cover an azimuth angle of 120 degrees and can simultaneously track 100 air targets within a distance of 300 kilometers and an altitude of less than 7,000 meters. after threat assessment, it can automatically select the six most threatening targets for priority interception; the reaction time from radar discovery to missile launch is about 12 to 15 seconds, and a fire unit can independently complete the entire process from discovery to interception. in addition, a firepower unit can also be equipped with an additional system command and coordination vehicle, which is specially used to interact with tactical unit information and can accept combat mission instructions issued by the higher-level tactical unit, forming a two-level command and control system of firepower unit and tactical unit. , expand the scope of combat.

the hongqi 9 air defense missile system is generally deployed in a battalion structure, consisting of 1 command vehicle, 4 communication and maintenance vehicles, 1 missile control vehicle, 1 target radar irradiation vehicle, 1 search radar vehicle and 8 missile launch vehicles it can provide air defense support for a theater with a radius of 125 kilometers. in the homeland air defense combat system, hongqi 9 is located on the outer layer of the entire air defense circle, playing an important role in first discovery, launch, and interception; it is used in conjunction with other medium and short-range air defense systems to form a coherent range and complete coverage of the airspace. integrated air defense combat system.

(hongqi 9 missile launch vehicle)

combat performance

although it has learned a lot from the russian-made s300 system and is similar in appearance, hongqi 9 is by no means a clone of the s300. compared with the early models of patriot and s300, hongqi 9 has made progress in the guidance system. the first two use a tbm guidance system, which is a terminal semi-active guidance system; while the hongqi 9 uses a tvm composite guidance system with active radar guidance as the core, which means that the interception accuracy is more accurate, the success rate is higher, and it is anti-interference. it has stronger capabilities and has considerable anti-saturation attack capabilities in tvm mode.

the full system deployment time of hongqi 9 is about 6 minutes, with a reaction speed of 12 to 15 seconds. it can control 6 missiles at a time to intercept 3 to 6 targets in different directions. the missile launch interval is about 5 seconds. it can use 1 to 2 missiles at a time against aircraft targets. missiles; in addition to its main function of air defense, hongqi 9 also has certain anti-missile combat capabilities. for cruising flight altitudes less than 100 meters, using ground clutter to cover covert assaultscruise missile, hongqi 9 can intercept cruise missiles with a cruising altitude of more than 50 meters at a distance of less than 10 kilometers.

derivative models

after the technology of the air force type hongqi 9 was stabilized, china developed the hongqi 9 series of long-range ship-to-air missiles, which were equipped on new destroyers such as 052c, 052d, and 055. different from the russian-made s300 carrier-based version of the reef m system purchased in 2003, the earliest haihongqi 9 ship-to-air missile uses a 6-unit annular vertical launcher, which does not require a separate "revolver" mechanism and has a faster rate of fire.

(type 055 launches haihongqi 9b missile)

haihongqi 9 uses the ship's type 346 active phased array radar to provide target indication information. the missile uses radar to provide guidance information in the initial stage of launch, uses inertial navigation and satellite composite guidance in the middle stage of flight, and uses its own active radar seeker to attack the target in the final stage. after building six 052c ships, the updated 052d type,type 055 destroyera more advanced universal vertical launch unit is used to form the regional protective umbrella of the chinese naval formation.

(the hongqi 9b missile launch vehicle is reviewed)

export and follow-up

the fd2000 air defense system developed based on hongqi 9 technology won a tender from the turkish ministry of defense industry in september 2013. however, due to the united states andnatoafter all the efforts to obstruct it, türkiye finally gave up the purchase. this turmoil also confirmed the advanced nature and cost-effectiveness of fd2000. at present, the system has been successfully exported to turkmenistan,uzbekistanand morocco and other countries, and has gained a good reputation. as a foreign trade model, a firepower unit of the fd2000 usually consists of a search fire control radar, a command and control vehicle and 8 launch vehicles.

(the latest hongqi 9 family foreign trade model exhibited at the zhuhai air show)

with the advancement of science and technology and changes in combat needs, the hongqi 9 family has also continued to develop and improve, making continuous breakthroughs in range, accuracy, anti-jamming capabilities, intelligence and informatization to better adapt to future war requirements. the subsequent hongqi 9b model and the latest hongqi 9c model with eight bombs and a "thin rod" are all the best carriers for the application of new technologies. the development history of hongqi 9 can be said to be the epitome of the continuous rise of china's air defense capabilities. it has witnessed the progress of china's military technology and the improvement of its national defense capabilities, and will continue to contribute to homeland air defense in the future.

(hongqi 9c)

(video footage of the launch of the "thin-pole" hongqi 9c)