Chinese state-owned media revealed on 28 February that an air-defence brigade with the People’s Liberation Army Ground Force’s (PLAGF’s) 78th Group Army has been supplied with self-propelled HQ-16 medium-range, surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems.
A screengrab from CCTV footage released on 28 February showing that an air-defence brigade with the PLA’s 78th Group Army recently received HQ-16 SAM systems. (Via CCTV )
Broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) did not reveal how many examples of the truck-mounted system entered service with the brigade, which is under the PLA’s Northern Theatre Command, but the HQ-16 is thought to consist of at least one battalion set, as this would be expected for a brigade formation.
The baseline variant of the HQ-16 has been reported to be capable of engaging targets at a maximum range of 40 km, while the upgraded HQ-16B variant is reportedly capable of engaging targets out to about 70 km.
Given that the baseline version entered service back in 2011, it is likely that the recently delivered system was the HQ-16B.
The addition of such systems into the PLAGF provides much-needed anti-air cover for China’s armoured and mechanised formations.
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