The HQ-9BE is a long-range, all-weather, surface-to-air missile (SAM) system acquired from China. It is a highly capable and modernized export variant of the HQ-9 system, which itself is based on technology from the Russian S-300 series.3 The HQ-9BE is the most sophisticated long-range air defense system in the Pakistan Air Force’s inventory, designed to provide a layered defense against a wide array of aerial threats, including fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, cruise missiles, and even tactical ballistic missiles. Its mobile nature is a key feature, as all components—including the command and control vehicle, radar, and launch vehicles—are mounted on high-mobility trucks, allowing for rapid deployment and relocation to avoid counter-strikes. A single battery of the HQ-9BE system can track up to 100 targets simultaneously and engage up to eight targets at a time. The missile uses a two-stage solid-fuel motor and a sophisticated guidance system that combines an Inertial Navigation System (INS) with a data link for mid-course updates and an active radar homing seeker for the terminal phase. This guidance architecture ensures high precision and makes the missile highly resistant to electronic countermeasures. The system’s primary guidance radar is the JSG-400 TDR, which is specifically tailored for intercepting tactical ballistic missiles.
- Type: Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) system
- Propulsion: Two-stage solid-fuel rocket engine
- Engagement Range: Up to 260 km for aircraft, up to 25 km for cruise missiles and ballistic missiles
- Flight Ceiling: Up to 27 km
- Guidance: INS with data-link updates and active radar homing (ARH)
- Warhead: 180 kg high-explosive fragmentation warhead
- Key Features: Highly mobile, all-weather capability, can engage multiple targets simultaneously, and has a strong anti-jamming capability.
