Military Watch Magazine

China’s Primary Air Defence System Demonstrates Ability to Destroy High-Manoeuvring Ballistic Missiles

A Chinese People’s Liberation Army HQ-9B surface-to-air missile system has conducted two successful interceptions of ballistic missile targets, highlighting the expanding capabilities of the primary long-range air defence system in Chinese service. One of the missiles altered its trajectory and descended sharply during flight, requiring the defending unit to launch an interceptor within an extremely narrow engagement window. The exercise provides an indication of the capabilities being developed by China's air-defence forces to counter missiles employing more unpredictable flight profiles. The unpredictability of the missile’s trajectory illustrated the importance of rapid threat assessment and engagement procedures when confronting manoeuvring missile targets.