ISLAMABAD: China has conducted the first public live-fire test of itsadvanced HQ-20 surface-to-air missile system, marking a major milestone inthe modernisation of the People’s Liberation Army’s integrated air andmissile defence architecture.
The exercise, broadcast on state television, showed the HQ-20 successfullyintercepting multiple incoming threats, including simulated cruisemissiles, fighter aircraft and tactical ballistic missiles. Each launchervehicle carries eight missiles in ready-to-fire configuration. The systemhas an engagement envelope of 50-160 km in range and from 10 metres to 25km in altitude.
Official Chinese sources claim 92 per cent single-shot kill probabilityagainst fourth-generation fighter aircraft and 85 per cent againstlow-flying cruise missiles. The fire-control radar can detect targets outto 400 km, track up to 100 simultaneously and engage 20 at once. Theinterceptor employs inertial navigation with mid-course updates and anactive electronically scanned array (AESA) seeker for terminal guidance. Adual-pulse solid rocket motor enables the missile to retain high kinematicperformance even at maximum range.
The HQ-20 is widely regarded as China’s counterpart to the Russian S-400and the American Patriot PAC-3 systems, though it incorporates severalindigenous technological advances that arguably place it ahead in certainparameters, particularly in countering saturation attacks and hypersonicthreats.
For Pakistan, the public demonstration carries immediate strategicrelevance. The Pakistan Air Force currently operates the HQ-9/P (exportdesignation of the earlier HQ-9B) as its longest-range air defence asset.However, the HQ-9/P lacks the full anti-tactical ballistic missilecapability and has a shorter kinematic range against manoeuvring warheads.
Indian acquisition of the S-400, coupled with ongoing development of theBrahMos-II hypersonic cruise missile and multiple theatre ballistic missileprogrammes, has created a widening capability gap on the eastern border.The HQ-20, with its proven ABM intercept profile and superior multi-targetengagement capacity, would directly address this asymmetry.
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Defence analysts in Rawalpindi believe Islamabad is likely to expressstrong interest in the system as soon as Beijing opens the export window.Previous patterns suggest China typically offers its most advancedequipment to Pakistan either concurrently with or shortly after PLAinduction. A battery-level induction of the HQ-20 would dramaticallystrengthen Pakistan’s ability to deny Indian air superiority in a futureconflict and provide credible deterrence against pre-emptive strikes onstrategic assets.
The timing of the test, coming amid heightened tensions in the TaiwanStrait and Ladakh sector, also sends a broader message about China’sgrowing confidence in its high-end air defence technologies.
Source: www.globaltimes.cn/page/202511/1323456.shtml”>https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202511/1323456.shtmlSource:https://armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2025/china-unveils-hq-20-long-range-air-defense-system