HQ-7
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The HongQi (red flag/banner) 7 or HQ-7 (FM-80) is a short-range air defense missile, reverse engineered from French Thomson CSF R-440 Sea Crotale SAM. The missile is deployed on both ships and land-based vehicles. China revealed the export version, FM-80, in 1989 Dubai Aerospace Show.
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[edit] History
In late 1970s, China joined Western powers in an informal alliance against the Soviet Union. At the time China's military equipment was seriously lagging behind the Soviets in quality, and sought Western assistance to modernize its military. Countries such as the US, UK, Italy, France, Germany, Australia, and Israel responded by providing China with military sales and technology transfers, either openly or covertly.
China imported some land and sea versions of the Thomson-CSF Crotale in 1978-1979 for evaluation. The Thomson-CSF R-440 Sea Crotale SAM and Thomson-CSF TSR 3004 Sea Tiger E/F-band radar were installed on PLAN destroyer #109 Kaifeng (Type 051 Luda-class) and destroyer #112 Harbin (Type 052 Luhu-class). The PLA found the Crotale system to be superior to the HQ-61 SAM, and instructed the 2nd Aerospace Academy (now China Academy of Defense Technology) to reverse-engineer the Crotale, 23rd Institute to reverse-engineer the radar and fire control system, and the 206 institute to develop ground-based vehicle carriers for the SAM.
It's speculated that the French gave tacit consent, or even assisted China in reverse engineer and domestic manufacturing of the Crotale SAM. The French government never sued China for duplicating the Crotale SAM without license, and it seemed strange that China could successfully reverse engineer the missile within 3-4 years.
China was able to produce copies of the Crotale (HQ-7) missile for testing in 1983. It was certified for serial production in 1986-1988. By 1989 China was promoting an export version, FM-80, at the 1989 Dubai Aerospace Show. Through the 1990s, the HQ-7 was deployed at PLAAF bases, on PLA vehicles, and PLAN ships. It became PLAN's standard ship-based air-defense SAM for over a decade, until the introduction of more capable, and long-range HQ-9.
There are unconfirmed reports that China is developing a VLS-launch version of the HQ-7, possibly for use on the Type 054A frigate.
[edit] Versions
[edit] HQ-7 (FM-80) Land-based
The HQ-7 SAM is used by PLA and PLAAF for short-range air-defense. At some PLAAF bases, the HQ-7 is deployed in hardened shelters. The PLA has HQ-7 mounted on towed trailers.
A typical land-based HQ-7 battalion consists of:
- 3 x Operational Sections
- 1 x Support / Maintenance Section
Each Operational Section consists of:
- 1 x Search Unit with:
- E/F-band Doppler Search Radar (18.4 km range)
- Target processing unit, can process 30 targets & track 12 targets simultaneously
- Wired network to firing units
- IFF & radio section
- 3 x Firing Units, each with:
- Optical aiming system
- 4 x 40 kW generators
- 4-cel or 8-cel missile launcher
- J-band tracking radar (17 km range)
- TV tracking system (15 km range)
- IR localiser
- Target processing unit
- Wired network
- IFF & radio stations
Each Support/Maintenance Section consists of:
- 10 support vehicles
- Maintenance group
[edit] HQ-7 (FM-80) Self-Propelled
The 206 Institute has developed a 4x4 self-propelled version of the HQ-7. 4 x HQ-7 SAMs and a tracking radar system is mounted on a 4x4 vehicle, or towed vehicle.
[edit] HQ-7 (FM-80) Naval
The HQ-7 became PLAN's standard short-range air-defense SAM in the 1990s. Even the latest Type 054 Frigate use Naval version of HQ-7. The typical configuration is one 8-cel launcher, with stores of reload missiles in multiples of 8 (8, 16, 24, 32). Earlier versions required manual re-loading, while the latest have auto re-loader that can be retracted under deck.
The Naval HQ-7 uses a Type 360S E/F-band Doppler radar with detection range of 18.4 km, connected to the ZJK-4 (Thomson-CSF TAVITAC) combat management system. The system is capable of processing up to 30 targets, and track 12 targets simultaneously.
[edit] HQ-7A (FM-90)
In 1998, China National Precision Machinery Import and Export Corp (CNPMIEC) produced an improved HQ-7 with faster and longer-range missiles, with IR-tracking camera. This version received the export designation of FM-90.
[edit] HQ-7 Specs
- Missile dimensions: (length) 3.00m; (diameter) 0.156 m; (wingspan) 0.55 m
- Launch weight: 84.5 kg
- Operating altitude: 30~5,000m
- Minimum operating range: 500m
- Max operating range: 8,600m (400m/s target); 10,000m (300m/s target); 12,000m (slow flying targets)
- Speed: Mach 2.3 (750m/s)
- Guidance: Command + electro-optical tracking
- Warhead: HE-FRAG with proximity fuse
- Single shot hit probability: 70~80%
- Radar detecting range: 18.4 km
- Radar homing range: 17 km
