PLA Anti-Air Missile (SAM) systems

[Totoro]

A battalion I think

But that also doesn't really work well, if there are just 3 launchers per battery. unless there are other launchers not shown in the image.

Older hq16 batteries did have 2 engagement radars in a battery for two fire units. Each with a radar and i think 3-4 launchers. So going from 2 to 3 fire units is not such a stretch, even though its very rare as i said earlier.

 

[Cloud_Nine_]

HQ-20 closest foreign equivalent should be the S-350.

There's another 12 missile per launch vehicle SAM system that definitely isn't the HQ-20 and that one is probably more similar to S-350. HQ-20 is actually closer to HQ-9 in length. But we haven't seen anything else related to that system. We only have a couple of videos of it around.

I agree HQ-20 has no equivalent. No modern SAM system uses only low frequency radar for search and fire control.

 

[Gloire_bb]

I agree HQ-20 has no equivalent. No modern SAM system uses only low frequency radar for search and fire control.

Neither should HQ-20? Evidence of absence is not absence of evidence.

 

[...........]

Okay at first I thought that 12 loader tel vehicle with the crane was for hq20 but then I thought that's stupid why would you have 12 cannister loader vehicle when the launcher can only hold 8 then I looked at the cannister for this hq-xx and realize the cannister is different from hq20 and hq9c.

First this hq-xx have no bumps it's smooth at the top of the cannister while the hq20 and hq9c Cleary visual bumps at the top of the cannister

Hqxx

Hq20

Hq9c

Second the bump at the side of hqxx cannister is different from both hq20 and hq9c




Imo this is a completely diff Sam that is in service but didn't appear in the parade

https://imgur.com/a/z29KyCk

 

[bsdnf]

Okay at first I thought that 12 loader tel vehicle with the crane was for hq20 but then I thought that's stupid why would you have 12 cannister loader vehicle when the launcher can only hold 8 then I looked at the cannister for this hq-xx and realize the cannister is different from hq20 and hq9c.

First this hq-xx have no bumps it's smooth at the top of the cannister while the hq20 and hq9c Cleary visual bumps at the top of the cannister

Hqxx
View attachment 175462
Hq20
View attachment 175461
Hq9c
View attachment 175460
Second the bump at the side of hqxx cannister is different from both hq20 and hq9c
View attachment 175468
View attachment 175465View attachment 175466
View attachment 175464
View attachment 175463
Imo this is a completely diff Sam that is in service but didn't appear in the parade

https://imgur.com/a/z29KyCk

It might be an equivalent product of the S-350 and compete with the HQ-20, but lose out. Who knows?

 

[Tomboy]

It might be an equivalent product of the S-350 and compete with the HQ-20, but lose out. Who knows?

Could it be the "HQ-26"?

 

[TheWanderWit]

Could it be the "HQ-26"?

I've heard "HQ-26" could be the name for a navalized HQ-19? But I don't think that would make sense given the three other ship-based SAMs all retain the same number designations with the only difference being they're called "HHQ-" rather than "HQ-". But idk

 

[Tomboy]

I've heard "HQ-26" could be the name for a navalized HQ-19? But I don't think that would make sense given the three other ship-based SAMs all retain the same number designations with the only difference being they're called "HHQ-" rather than "HQ-". But idk

It technically isn't unheard of for a naval only SAM to just be called HQ-XX, HQ-10 is just called "HQ-10" despite being basically naval only. PLAN is kinda of missing a mid-course exoatmospheric interceptor similar to the HQ-29, but I don't really expect it to be literally as large given that naval units could be positioned to be much closer than land based units like HQ-29.

 

[00CuriousObserver]

Type	Role	Branch	Closest foreign equivalent
HQ-6A/B/D	SHORAD	PLAAF	Skyguard-Aspide/Avenger
HQ-7A	SHORAD	PLAGF	Crotale (Reverse engineered)
H(H)Q-9/B	Long range air defense/ABM	PLAAF/PLAN	S-300/400
H(H)Q-9C	HIMAD/AMB	PLAAF/PLAN	Patriot PAC-3 MSE
HQ-10	SHORAD	PLAN	RIM-116 RAM
HQ-11	Short-medium range air defense	PLAAF	IRIS-T SLM/NASAMS
HQ-12A/B/C/D	Medium range air defense/Limited ABM	PLAAF	MIM-23 series
HQ-13 (FB-10)	SHORAD	PLAGF	Type 93 SAM
HQ-15 (FK-3000)	Anti-cluster/drone VSHORAD	PLAGF	Pantsir SMD-E
H(H)Q-16A/B/C/D(?)/FE	Medium range air defense/ABM	PLAGF/PLAN	Buk series/IRIS-T SLX
HQ-17/A	SHORAD	PLAGF	Tor-M (Reverse engineered)
HQ-19	Exoatmospheric ABM	PLAAF	THAAD-ER
HQ-20	Dedicated SAM for aerodynamic LO targets (?)	PLAAF	N/A (Couldn't really think of any equivalent)
HQ-22/A	Medium-long range air defense	PLAAF	Patriot PAC-2
HQ-29	Mid course interceptor/ASAT	PLAAF	KEI/Nudol
S-300PMU/PMU-2	Long range air defense/ABM	PLAAF	Literally just S-300
S-400	Long range air defense/ABM	PLAAF	Just a normal S-400

AFAIK, these are all the in service PLA SAMs that I can name off the top of my head and their closest equivalent, though HQ-7 and HQ-6 probably have already been fully phased out by now. I also heard S-300PMU has been mostly phased out as well and it's just S-300PMU-2 left, HQ-12 possibly might have also been mostly gone by now.

Nice chart

Isn't the HQ-15 something different? Reversed engineered S-300?

 

[Cloud_Nine_]

I've heard "HQ-26" could be the name for a navalized HQ-19? But I don't think that would make sense given the three other ship-based SAMs all retain the same number designations with the only difference being they're called "HHQ-" rather than "HQ-". But idk

It could be the case PLAN has different requirements. There's a whole slew of questions pertaining to integrating HQ-19 into current PLAN sensors and combat systems since all of their main radars are currently S band and C band for HQ-9 fire control. But ofc we don't really know fore sure HQ-19 target aquisition & fire control radar is X band like TPY-2 either since there's an S-band SLC-12 that's similarly sized and we've seen it and the X band SLC-14 together in Jiuquan.

That being said I am fairly certain HQ-26 exists and is indeed a HQ-19 like system. Can't really find where I read about it but I remember very clearly a source saying sth like "theater high altitude ABM systems like HQ-19, HQ-26". Sounds a lot like they are parallels. Maybe it had already posted it here before and that's where I saw it. Would appreciate if someone could dig it up lol.