The HQ-16FE is a medium-to-long-range air defense system, representing another crucial component of Pakistan’s layered air defense network. It is the latest export variant of the Chinese HQ-16 system, which is based on a reverse-engineered and improved version of the Russian Buk-M2 system. The HQ-16FE fills the critical gap between Pakistan’s short-range and long-range air defense systems. The system is fully mobile, with launchers mounted on wheeled chassis, making it adaptable to both point-defense of strategic assets and covering mobile combat forces. A typical battery consists of a command and control vehicle, a target acquisition radar, and multiple launch vehicles, each equipped with multiple vertical-launch missile canisters. The missile itself is a solid-fueled projectile with a range of up to 160 kilometers, giving it a significant standoff capability. The HQ-16FE uses an advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar for target acquisition and fire control. This radar can detect fighter-sized targets at distances up to 250 km. The missile’s guidance system is a combination of inertial guidance for the mid-course phase and semi-active radar homing for the terminal phase, ensuring a high hit probability against fast-moving aerial threats. Its ability to engage up to eight targets simultaneously and its sophisticated electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) make it an effective weapon against modern aircraft and precision-guided munitions.
- Type: Medium-to-Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) system
- Propulsion: Solid-fuel rocket engine
- Engagement Range: Up to 160 km
- Flight Speed: Mach 3.5
- Guidance: Inertial guidance with semi-active radar homing
- Launch Platform: Road-mobile Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL) with vertical launch capability
- Key Features: AESA radar for detection and tracking, excellent anti-jamming and anti-saturation performance, and high mobility.
