HQ-9 - Anti-Missile Capabilities

The HQ-9 development effort was initially only required to combat aircraft, and the function of intercepting ballistic missiles was option. But after the 1991 Gulf War, the "Patriot" air defense missile intercepted "Scud" missiles, which completely awakened the Chinese designers to the need to substantially modified the HQ-9, so that it had and anti-missile capability, a development in keeping with the trend in world anti-aircraft missiles. At that time, with urgent homeland defense requirements, the anti-missile capability of the HQ-9 could not be implemented in the short term, so the central authorities had to negotiate the introduction of S-300PMU for homeland defense emergency, while the HQ-9 was significantly improved, so that it has a anti-missile capability.

Improvement work began in 1994, the main change the layout of the missile warhead design, with vertical launch technology, the introduction of more high-speed CPU and advanced specialized software, automation and speed of response, shooting and killing a substantial increase in the probability of other attendant. But subject to the limitations of the original design, its anti-missile capability still could not be compared with the S-300. Until 2000, with cutting-edge technology, China's national defense achieved a breakthrough, and the HQ-9 could be considered to have an anti-missile capability. It had been through several years of testing, and finally the first batch of equipment was sent to the air-air missile units.

On January 11, 2010, China conducted a test on ground-based midcourse missile interception technology within its territory. The test achieved the expected objective. "The test has reached the preset goal," but it "is defensive in nature and targets no other country", Xinhua News Agency quoted an official from the Information Bureau of China's Ministry of National Defense as saying. Some sources believed the test involved an upgraded HQ-9 surface-to-air missile SAM equipped with a new exoatmospheric kill vehicle for use as a ballistic missile defense. But in fact, the test involved the unrelated and much larger SC-19, which also serves as an ASAT.