China’s Xinjiang command puts updated missile to high-altitude test
- Exercises involving HQ-17A air defence system come in countdown to US-India military drills near China border in October
- The HQ-17A is regarded as highly mobile and accurate, striking a test plane on the first try during the latest trials
Military observers said that from the footage the weapons appeared to be HQ-17A air defence missiles, part of an integrated system that can fit in a single vehicle, and is regarded as very mobile and accurate.
One military observer said the tests in Xinjiang were a show of deterrence in the countdown to the India-US drills near India’s disputed border with China.
CCTV reported on Monday that the Xinjiang command conducted live-fire drills with a “new type of surface-to-air missile” at an altitude of more than 4,500 metres (14,760 feet).
The missile hit a target plane flying at a low altitude on its first attempt.
Operators of the system took evasive action and hit a target in a second round of strikes despite strong electromagnetic interference from the aircraft, the report said.