The HQ-10 () is a short 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 to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, or CASC, is the 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, strategi ...

(CASC), currently in service as a point defense missile system aboard PLA Navy warships.

Development

The system was first adopted by the Liaoning aircraft carrier and the Type 056 corvette in 2011.

Design

The design of the HQ-10 places it in a similar role to the American

Rolling Airframe Missile The RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) is a small, lightweight, infrared homing surface-to-air missile in use by the German, Japanese, Greek, Turkish, South Korean, Saudi Arabian, Egyptian, Mexican, UAE, and U.S. Navies. It was origina ...

, both serving as point defense missile systems. Each HQ-10 missile has a length of around 2 m and a width of around 0.12 m. The missile has a range of 9 km against subsonic targets and 6 km against supersonic targets, and a flight altitude as low as 1.5 meters. The guidance system is said to be an advanced matrix

imaging infrared Infrared thermography (IRT), thermal video and/or thermal imaging, is a process where a thermal camera captures and creates an image of an object by using infrared radiation emitted from the object in a process, which are examples of infrared ...

(IIR) seeker. However, it appears to have a pair of horn like protrusions at the front of the missile which may indicate the existence of passive radar seekers or

semi-active radar Semi-active radar homing (SARH) is a common type of missile guidance system, perhaps the most common type for longer-range air-to-air and surface-to-air missile systems. The name refers to the fact that the missile itself is only a passive det ...

seekers. The launcher is designed to be customisable in terms of number of missiles carried. Possible different configurations include 8, 15, 18 and 24 missiles, which can be deployed on different warships based on size and suitability. It is claimed that the system can launch missiles in about 10 seconds.

Variants

;HQ-10 ;HHQ-10 : PLA Navy designation for naval version

FL-3000N

The FL-3000N is a missile that commonly replaces the HQ-10 on ships exported to other countries, hence it is commonly dubbed the export version of the HQ-10. However, that is not an official designation. Although the FL-3000N shares many characteristics with the HQ-10, they are not the same missile. The FL-3000N was developed by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), and was intended to be a competitor to the HQ-10, which was developed by

(CASC). The FL-3000N lost the tender to the HQ-10 and thereafter obtained export authorisation, leading to its current status as a de facto export version of the HQ-10. There are some notable differences between the FL-3000N and the HQ-10. It has different missile fins which are triangular in shape compared to the rectangular fins of the HQ-10. The launchers come in the same 24 missile loadouts as the HQ-10, but its design is slightly different and missiles are differently arranged. The FL-3000N missile uses a combined guidance system that incorporates both imaging infrared (ImIR) guidance and millimeter wave radar (MMW) guidance. There are a pair of horn like protrusions mounted on the ImIR seeker at the tip of the missile, and these two protrusions are the passive radar seekers. An optional ImIR only guidance is also available and the missile is a fire and forget weapon. The fire control system (FCS) of FL-3000N can simultaneously control two launchers, and can be integrated into other FCS on board ships. Alternatively, FL-3000N is also capable being directly controlled by other FCS on board ships. The system is usually fully automatic without human intervention, but manual operation can be inserted when needed. An optional extra magazine with automated loading system is available for larger warships when there is enough space provided. On smaller surface combatants where space is limited, the extra magazine with the automated loading system is eliminated and the reload is done manually. To further use confined space, an 8-cell launcher and a quadruple launcher are also available. Additionally, a single-cell launcher is available for mounting on existing naval gun mounts.

Deployment

The HHQ-10 naval version is currently deployed aboard various PLA Navy warships, such as the Type 056 corvettes,

Type 054 The Type 054 (NATO Codename Jiangkai I) is a class of Chinese multi-role frigates that were commissioned in the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force in 2005. They superseded the Type 053H3 frigates. Only two ships, ''Ma'anshan'' (525), and ...

frigates, Type 956E destroyers (refit),

Type 052D The Type 052D destroyer (NATO/ OSD Luyang III-class destroyer) is a class of guided-missile destroyers in the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy. The Type 052D is a larger variant of the Type 052C; the Type 052D uses a canister-type, instead ...

class destroyers,

Type 055 The Type 055 destroyer (NATO/ OSD Renhai-class cruiser) is a class of stealth guided-missile destroyers (guided-missile cruisers per NATO/OSD standard) being constructed for the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy. It is a multi-mission desig ...

class cruisers,

Liaoning Liaoning () is a coastal province in Northeast China that is the smallest, southernmost, and most populous province in the region. With its capital at Shenyang, it is located on the northern shore of the Yellow Sea, and is the northernmo ...

aircraft carrier,

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in His ...

aircraft carrier and in the future, the Type 075 LHD. The FL-3000N has been exported to countries such as Bangladesh and Nigeria.

Operators

Current operators

* * * **FL-3000N * **FL-3000

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:HQ-10 Surface-to-air missiles of the People's Republic of China Naval surface-to-air missiles Close-in weapon systems Military equipment introduced in the 2010s