The HQ-16 (;

NATO reporting name NATO uses a system of code names, called reporting names, to denote military aircraft and other equipment used by post-Soviet states, former Warsaw Pact countries, China, and other countries. The system assists military communications by providi ...

: CH-SA-16) is a Chinese medium-range

surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-ai ...

(SAM) developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST) of

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) is a main contractor for the Chinese space program. It is state-owned and has subsidiaries which design, develop and manufacture a range of spacecraft, launch vehicles, and ground equ ...

(CASC). It is derived from earlier versions of the Russian

Buk missile system The Buk (; "beech" (tree), ) is a family of self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon, self-propelled, medium-range surface-to-air missile systems developed by the Soviet Union and its successor state, the Russian Federation, and designed to counter ...

Development

Development began in 2005, and was reportedly assisted by the

Almaz-Antey Corporation JSC Concern VKO "Almaz-Antey" () is a Russian state-owned company in the arms industry, a result of a merger of Antey Corporation and NPO Almaz, unifying some of the national military enterprises, in particular, the developers of anti-airc ...

. It was initially developed as a naval system. In late-2011, China reported the "co-development between Russia and China" of the missile was complete. The HQ-16B was developed by late-2011. A ground battery consists of a command post, two multifunction radars, and four to six launchers. Each launcher has six missiles.

Operational history

The platform for the HHQ-16, the

Type 054A frigate The Type 054A (NATO/ OSD Jiangkai II) is a Ship class, class of guided-missile frigate from the People's Republic of China. It is a development of the Type 054 frigate; compared to its predecessor, the Type 054A has medium-range air defense capa ...

, entered service in 2008. The HQ-16A entered service in 2011. The HQ-16A entered Chinese service in 2011. Pakistan entered negotiations to purchase the missile in 2015. The LY-80s entered service with the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

in March 2017.

Variants

HQ-16 missile and 90mm precision-guided rocket

;HQ-16A Original land-based variant with a range of . ;HHQ-16 Naval variant, reportedly a domestic-produced variant of the 9M317ME missile. ;HQ-16B Improved variant with slant range exceeding . ;HQ-16C Improved variant with slant range exceeding . ;LY-80 Export variant. ;LY-80N Export naval variant. ;HQ-16FE Improved variant with range up to .

Operators

; *

People's Liberation Army Ground Force The People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF), also referred to as the PLA Army, is the army, land-based service branch of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), and also its largest and oldest branch. The PLAGF can trace its lineage from 192 ...

– 250 HQ-16A & HQ-16B *

People's Liberation Army Navy The People's Liberation Army Navy, also known as the People's Navy, PLA Navy or simply Chinese Navy, is the naval warfare military branch, branch of the People's Liberation Army, the national military of the People's Republic of China. It i ...

– HHQ-16 ; *

– LY-80 *

Pakistan Navy The Pakistan Navy (PN) (; ''romanized'': Pākistān Bahrí'a; ) is the naval warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The Chief of the Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Com ...

– LY-80N

References

Sources

* * * * {{Chinese Missiles Surface-to-air missiles of the People's Republic of China Naval surface-to-air missiles Military equipment introduced in the 2010s