China showcased the Hong Qi HQ-17AE short-range air defense system (SHORAD) at Airshow China 2022 on November 8-13.
The new system was designed and developed by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), the country's largest manufacturer of air space missiles.
The HQ-17AE is the newest variant in the Flying Mongoose family .
This system was designed by CASIC Second Academy to counter precision-guided missiles such as air cruise missiles, guided bombs, surface-to-surface missiles, as well as low-flying aircraft, helicopters and drones.
The HQ-17AE system is armed with eight surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) which are launched vertically before their rocket rockets are activated.
The vehicle carrying it can travel at a maximum speed of 90 km/h on the highway and is ready to face up to four threats simultaneously, even when traveling at speeds of up to 25 km/h.
The HQ-17 is essentially a reverse engineered version of the Russian-made 9K331 Tor-M1 (NATO reporting name SA-15 Gauntlet ) SAM system.
The system was acquired by China in the early 2000s and later developed domestically.
The six-wheeled version called the FM-2000 was first unveiled at Airshow China 2018 in Zhuhai.
The vehicle features a redesigned, smaller turret and houses a front-mounted flat-face control radar and a taller but narrower search radar.
