Thursday, 8 November 2018

Chinese HD-1 supersonic 'aircraft carrier killer' missile for export



The HD-1's advanced solid fuel ramjet needs less fuel than its competitors, rendering the lighter missile able to fly faster and farther, Wei said. 

After governmental approval, Hongda intends to sign deals and mass-produce the HD-1 for export.

There are not many such supersonic missiles available on the international defense market, Wei said.

Pakistan and Middle Eastern countries are likely to show interest given the weapon's potential to break anti-missile systems at supersonic speeds, he noted.

The BrahMos missile is a more expensive, less useful supersonic cruise missile developed by India and Russia, Wei said. 

BrahMos can only be sold to "responsible" countries friendly with both India and Russia, a company spokesperson said at the Singapore Airshow in February, CNBC reported.

Hongda will participate in Airshow China 2018 in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province in November, a company spokesperson told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The HD-1 is a comprehensive weapon system consisting of missile, launch, command and control, target indication and comprehensive support systems, Hongda said in a separate statement released in August.

The HD-1 can be adapted to aircraft and ships as well as the basic ground-based vehicle version, the company said.

The total investment in HD-1 is expected to top 1.3 billion yuan ($188 million).

Source: www.globaltimes.cn

HD-1 supersonic missile

Liu Xuanzun

The missile uses a solid-propellant ramjet and can reach targets 290 kilometers away at a speed of Mach 2.2 to 3.5, according to the description the company released at the show.

Weighing 2,200 kilograms, the weapon can fly as high as 15 kilometers and as low as 5-10 meters when sea skimming, the description said.

The company claims it takes less than 5 minutes to prepare for a launch, and less than 10 seconds to launch a second one.

It can accurately hit ground and sea targets, the company said.

Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, told the Global Times on Friday that the flight speed and altitudes make the HD-1 very difficult to intercept.

BZhRK

"It could be an awesome aircraft carrier killer," Wei said.

"A saturated attack by the HD-1 can even demolish an entire fleet," he said.

The HD-1 can be launched from a land-based transport erection and launch vehicle (TEL), which was also displayed at the show.

One TEL can be loaded with 6 missiles, which can be fired with a single push of a button. The vehicle adopts an 8x8 all-wheel chassis, making it very mobile and can withdraw within 3 minutes after launch, ensuring its strong battlefield survivability, the company said.

In addition to the basic version, the company also introduced the HD-1A, an HD-1 variant that can be launched in the air by fighter jets and bombers and has similar capabilities. Source: www.globaltimes.cn

Updated Nov 15, 2018

Source: BZhRK

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