China showcased a series of offensive weapons systems during the Victory Day military parade in Beijing on September 3 to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory over Japan in the Second World War.
China’s hypersonic weapons, anti-ship ballistic missiles, submarine-launched missiles, nuclear-tipped torpedoes, and laser weapon systems all gathered worldwide attention.
During the parade, China also demonstrated its layered state-of-the-art air defense and antiballistic missile systems.
To demonstrate its multi-stage, multi-layer air and missile defense network, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) brought six types of advanced AD systems to the parade.
The HQ-11, HQ-20, HQ-22A, HQ-9C, HQ-19, and HQ-29 – Six types of air defense systems were showcased during the parade.
Among them, the event marked the public debut of the HQ-20 and HQ-22A anti-aircraft missile systems. China also unveiled its long-speculated HQ-29 air and missile defense system for the first time.
The other three AD systems — HQ-11, HQ-9C, and HQ-19 — have been part of Chinese defense shows in recent years. The HQ-11 and HQ-19 were showcased at the 15th Airshow in Zhuhai, China, in November 2024.
Chinese AD Systems
Together, the six Chinese AD systems can carry out long-range, medium-range, and short-range air defense missions and multiple-course, multi-layer antiballistic missile interception, building a solid barrier for air and aerospace defense.
The HQ-11 has been described as a terminal defense weapon, mainly used to intercept air-to-surface missiles, guided bombs, cruise missiles, as well as fixed-wing combat aircraft, helicopters, and other air strike weapons, providing mid to low-altitude and short-range terminal defense for high-value targets.
The HQ-22 is mainly responsible for mid to high altitude and medium-range air defense missions. It can intercept aerodynamic targets such as combat aircraft, attack helicopters, and mid to high-altitude drones.
The HQ-19 was first unveiled at the 2024 Airshow China. This type of antiballistic missile system is mainly used for regional interception of ballistic missile targets in the terminal stage at high altitudes, with the interception altitude and range greatly expanded. It has the characteristics of a large coverage of combat protection areas and a strong ability to penetrate defenses.
Wang Yanan, chief editor of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told China Daily that in addition to conventional ballistic missiles, the HQ-19 can also defend against hypersonic glide vehicle weapons that boast extremely fast speeds and supreme agility. As a cutting-edge strike hardware, the hypersonic glide vehicle weapon is virtually impossible to intercept by previous air-defense missiles and poses a significant threat to high-value assets.
In the Ukraine war, Russia has used hypersonic glide vehicles to great effect, and even Western air defense systems have struggled against these threats.
The HQ-9C is used primarily for air defense operations within the atmosphere, but can also perform terminal low altitude antiballistic missile missions, and it can intercept some medium and short-range ballistic missiles.
“The combination of the HQ-9 series and the HQ-19 will form a powerful, multi-layer network to keep our important assets safe from threats from air and exo-atmosphere,” Zhang Xuefeng, a military hardware observer and retired PLA officer, told China Daily.
The combined multi-layered capabilities of these AD systems mean that China has become one of the few countries in the world with a complete antiballistic missile system, which has significant strategic significance.
However, perhaps the most significant AD system showcased at the parade is the HQ-29.
HQ-29: China’s Exoatmospheric Missile Interception System
During the parade, China finally unveiled its long-speculated HQ-29 exoatmospheric missile interception system.
Previously, the Chinese defense ministry has announced multiple times that China had conducted technical tests for land-based mid-course antiballistic missile interception, achieving expected goals.
However, this was the first time that the AD system was publicly unveiled.
While the HQ-29 can also intercept hostile missiles outside the atmosphere, unlike conducting regional interception in the upper terminal phase like the HQ-19, the HQ-29 can intercept ballistic missiles in the mid-course phase, mainly targeting high-value ballistic missiles with longer ranges.
The HQ-29 is also China’s largest surface-to-air missile system ever shown. Compared to the HQ-19, the HQ-29’s missile has a significantly larger and longer body. Only two missiles are transported by a launcher vehicle with six sets of wheels. In comparison, each launcher vehicle of HQ-19 carries six canister missiles.
Each HQ-29 missile interceptor measures approximately 7.5 meters in length and 1.5 meters in diameter.
“With a larger missile body, HQ-29 can further expand the scope of China’s antiballistic missile operations,” military affairs expert Zhang Xuefeng told the Global Times.
The solid-fueled, high-velocity HQ-29 missile interceptors can perform a dual role, intercepting ballistic missiles in their midcourse phase and space-based threats in low Earth orbit. According to experts, the HQ-29 can also engage hostile satellites in low Earth orbit.
The HQ-29 fills a crucial gap between the HQ-19 (high-altitude interceptor) and the HQ-9 series (terminal defense) and is comparable to the American SM-3 and Russian S-500 systems. Its range is expected to exceed 500 km, marking a major strategic advance in Chinese air defense capabilities.
The integration of HQ-9 and HQ-19 with HQ-29 will provide China with a complete, multi-layered anti-ballistic missile defense capability –
The HQ-9: Designed for low-altitude terminal defense.
The HQ-19: A high-altitude interceptor, which is comparable to the US THAAD system.
The HQ-29: It fills the gap between the two as an intermediate or exo-atmospheric interceptor.
Internationally, the system is comparable to the US SM-3, a US Navy-operated missile interceptor capable of engaging ballistic missiles mid-flight. Similarly, the system is considered equivalent to the Russian S-500, which is designed for exo-atmospheric engagement.
The HQ-29 system can also be compared to the Russian PL-19 Nudol, an anti-satellite interceptor also capable of exo-atmospheric engagement.
Given the HQ-29’s exo-atmospheric engagement capabilities that allow it to eliminate even hostile satellites in low-Earth orbit, the AD system has also been called “satellite hunter system”.
Thus, the operationalization of the HQ-29 into China’s AD doctrine will further blur the lines between traditional missile defense systems and space defense and will raise concerns about the militarization of space. Consequently, the AD system has the potential to alter the power balance in space.
The operationalization of the multi-course and multi-layer antiballistic missile interception system means that China has become one of the few countries in the world with a complete antiballistic missile system.
“Their appearance is not only a concentrated display of China’s strategic defense capabilities, but also a display of strategic deterrence. With complete antiballistic missile capability, China can significantly contain the enemy’s strategic strike capabilities, which is of great significance,” Zhang added.
The HQ-29’s anti-satellite (ASAT) capabilities could really endanger U.S. space assets. It employs kinetic kill vehicles equipped with multiple solid-state pulse thrusters for precise mid-course maneuvers, allowing it to destroy satellites during their orbital coasting phase.
This dual ABM-ASAT functionality positions it as a versatile tool for space denial, potentially targeting U.S. reconnaissance, communication, and GPS satellites in LEO—critical for military operations worldwide.
Analysts note that China’s counterspace program, including the HQ-29, poses a “credible threat” to U.S. space-based architecture, as highlighted in U.S. Space Force intelligence reports. It could disrupt systems like Starlink or military SATCOM, which rely on LEO constellations.
In a potential clash in the South China Sea, the HQ-29 can blind U.S. forces by destroying surveillance and degrading command-and-control networks.
- Sumit Ahlawat has over a decade of experience in news media. He has worked with Press Trust of India, Times Now, Zee News, Economic Times, and Microsoft News. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Media and Modern History from the University of Sheffield, UK.
- He can be reached at ahlawat.sumit85 (at) gmail.com
