China has released a landmark Air Force anniversary film showcasing the world’s first publicly documented live fire test of the HQ-20 surface-to-air missile system, offering unprecedented insight into one of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s (PLAAF) most secretive new-generation interceptors. The footage—broadcast in November as part of the PLAAF’s anniversary commemorative video—captured the complete launch cycle, from canister elevation to missile release, signaling a significant turning point in China’s rapidly advancing air-and-missile defense architecture.
For years, the HQ-20 existed largely as a rumored program. Beyond parade appearances and rare static images, the system remained shrouded in ambiguity, leading analysts to question its development status, performance maturity, and operational readiness. China’s decision to publicly reveal a full live firing ends that uncertainty. It confirms that the HQ-20 is no longer conceptual or undergoing limited trials but is now a fielded, combat-ready asset integrated into active PLAAF air defense regiments.
By showcasing the system’s eight-cell vertical-launch configuration in motion, Beijing delivered a powerful strategic message to regional militaries, including those of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, India, and the United States. The demonstration underscored that China is not only densifying its air defense layers but also narrowing technological gaps with Western missile defense systems. This transparency—rare for Chinese strategic weapons programs—suggests growing confidence in the HQ-20’s operational capability and its role in China’s broader anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) posture.
The live fire test follows the HQ-20’s debut during the 3 September 2025 Victory Day Parade, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. During the parade, the system appeared in a static ground formation, revealing little about its capabilities. At the time, analysts interpreted its presence as indicative of early initial operational capability (IOC), still undergoing validation and crew training. The latest footage, however, confirms that by November 2025, the HQ-20 had entered advanced operational training, consistent with full operational capability.
Together, these events provide a timeline of the HQ-20’s rapid transition—from public unveiling in early Q3 2025 to confirmed live-fire operation barely two months later—signaling a faster-than-expected deployment pace consistent with Beijing’s broader strategic modernization.
The HQ-20’s emergence fills a long-recognized gap between China’s HQ-16 medium-range system and the HQ-22A and HQ-9 families classified in the longer-range spectrum. For years, China’s medium-to-upper-medium range category remained comparatively thin, even as the country invested heavily in short-range and long-range interceptors. The HQ-20 bridges this gap with a compact eight-round, vertical-launch architecture that improves firing density, reaction time, and engagement flexibility.
Mounted on an 8×8 heavy mobility chassis, each launcher carries eight sealed missile canisters arranged in two rows of four—exceeding the density of the HQ-16’s six-cell and the HQ-9’s four-cell launchers. That density is crucial for saturation-attack scenarios, where the number of ready-to-fire interceptors can determine the survival of radar nodes and strategic infrastructure.
The HQ-20’s vertical launch mechanism enables 360-degree all-azimuth engagement without rotating the vehicle, enhancing survivability against fast-approaching threats such as cruise missiles, UAVs, or stealth aircraft attempting multi-vector penetration.
Supporting radars and command elements reveal how the HQ-20 fits within China’s evolving doctrine of layered, distributed, and survivable air defense.
Meter-wave early warning radars—similar in concept to the JY-27—provide long-range detection optimized for low-observable aircraft. Fire-control duties are handled by active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars capable of tracking dozens of targets, managing midcourse guidance, and integrating with networked sensors.
According to assessments, the HQ-20’s fire-control radar can detect around 100 aerial objects at distances near 400 kilometers, prioritizing roughly 20 threats simultaneously—indicating a mature network-centric design intended to engage modern high-speed, low-signature targets.
The command system fuses data from satellites, airborne early warning aircraft, ground-based sensors, and optical tracking nodes using secure, resilient communication links engineered to operate under intense electronic warfare. This structure reflects China’s push toward a highly redundant and resistant defensive web designed to survive early-stage strikes in a conflict with advanced adversaries.
The HQ-20 interceptor itself is a vertically launched, solid-fuel missile guided by inertial navigation and midcourse command updates before transitioning to terminal active radar homing. Reports suggest the missile may use a dual-pulse motor to enhance agility during terminal engagement, especially against maneuvering aircraft or terrain-hugging cruise missiles.
Range estimates vary widely—reflecting uncertainty or the possible existence of multiple variants—but are generally assessed between 150 and 160 kilometers for the baseline version. Some expansive projections suggest potential variants reaching 400 to 500 kilometers, though these claims remain unverified.
Engagement altitude reportedly spans from as low as 10 meters—the domain of cruise missiles—to around 25 kilometers, overlapping with the envelopes of both the HQ-16 and HQ-22A. This layered overlap reflects China’s aim to eliminate “gap altitudes” where adversaries might exploit blind zones in radar coverage or interceptor positioning.
The HQ-20 joins a complex family of Hongqi missile systems covering short-range, medium-range, long-range, and ballistic missile interception.
Short-range systems—HQ-7, HQ-10, HQ-11, HQ-13, and HQ-17—protect mobile units and critical facilities from UAVs, helicopters, and low-altitude missiles. At longer ranges, systems like the HQ-22A and HQ-9C counter high-altitude aircraft and standoff strike assets, while the HQ-19 and HQ-29 provide ballistic missile defense.
During the September 2025 parade, China showcased a full multi-layer formation including HQ-11, HQ-20, HQ-22A, HQ-9C, HQ-19, and HQ-29, illustrating a vertically integrated defensive concept. In this formation, the HQ-20 sits at the center of the layered structure, providing upper-medium coverage that reinforces both the inner and outer rings.
Compared to the HQ-9—with four large missiles per launcher and a range extending to approximately 400 kilometers—the HQ-20 emphasizes density and responsiveness. Against the HQ-16, the HQ-20 offers greater range and missile count, making it especially valuable in heavily saturated airspaces.
China’s recently unveiled “Chinese Golden Dome” early warning prototype—capable of monitoring up to 1,000 missile launches globally—illustrates how Beijing intends to integrate next-generation interceptor systems into a globalized early warning grid. The system synthesizes data from satellites, ground sensors, optical monitors, and distributed computing platforms using high-speed data exchange protocols.
This architecture allows weapons like the HQ-20 to receive launch alerts, trajectory projections, and identification markers in near-real time, significantly compressing reaction windows. By contrast, the U.S. “Golden Dome” concept remains in early development.
The HQ-20’s integration into such a network strengthens China’s ability to detect, track, and intercept diverse threats across vast territorial and maritime zones, reinforcing its evolving defensive perimeter in the Asia-Pacific.
The 11 November 2025 live fire demonstration represents more than a technical milestone—it marks a strategic inflection point. China has signaled that the HQ-20 is not merely an experimental asset but a fully operational interceptor shaping the future of its air defense doctrine.
With its eight-cell vertical launcher, enhanced radar support, rapid reaction capability, and integration into next-generation early warning networks, the HQ-20 has emerged as a central pillar of China’s multi-layered defensive shield. Its public debut and confirmed operational status are poised to reshape regional threat assessments and recalibrate military planning across East Asia.
As Beijing continues expanding and refining its air defense infrastructure, the HQ-20’s arrival signals that China’s anti-access/area-denial envelope is growing not only in scale, but in technological sophistication, resilience, and strategic intent.
