China’s HQ-19 system to shield against hypersonic weapons and nuclear threats

Almost a decade has passed since the People’s Liberation Army pulled the trigger on President Xi Jinping’s plans for a massive overhaul of the world’s biggest military. In the seventh of a series on Chinese weapons systems, we look at the country’s new anti-ballistic missile system.

After 14 years of testing, China has debuted the Hongqi-19 (HQ-19), an anti-ballistic missile system capable of intercepting threats beyond the atmosphere, as well as those moving at hypersonic speeds within the atmosphere.

The HQ-19, also known as Red Flag-19, has been touted as a more competent rival of the US Army’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) anti-missile system developed in the 1990s.

The new anti-ballistic missile system is expected to be crucial for defending Chinese territory from a high altitude against ballistic missiles, which are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

Here is what we know about the Chinese system from its unveiling at the Zhuhai Air Show in November and how it might be different from THAAD.

Technological advancement

The HQ-19, developed by the Chinese air force, and THAAD both operate using a “hit-to-kill” technology. They use kinetic energy, instead of an explosive warhead, to destroy targets and are focused on countering short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.