On June 27, in Kruševac, about 50 kilometers from Kosovo, Serbia's Hongqi-17AE field air defense system imported from China made its debut. According to Serbian media reports, the Serbian air defense forces have so far received 2 companies of Hongqi-17AE field air defense systems
According to information published by the Serbian Ministry of Defense, the air defense system was received 2 weeks ago, when the 250th missile brigade of the Kragujevac garrison was conducting air defense combat exercises, and in one photo, the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, Colonel-General Milan Moisillovic, is sitting in the cab of the new air defense system, from which the same lights and folding handles as the Hongqi-17AE can be seen.
In September 2023, at the Partner 2023 International Defense Exhibition held in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, news about Serbia's purchase of Chinese Hongqi-17AE field air defense systems was first revealed, and negotiations were made to purchase at least 3 Hongqi-17AE companies to provide air defense protection on the march and in field positions. In February 2024, Serbian President Vučić revealed the purchase of Hongqi-17A for the first time.
Serbia's procurement of the Hongqi-17AE field air defense system is part of its strategy to modernize its military capabilities and strengthen its national defense. Hongqi-17AE is an advanced field air defense system, known for its combat capabilities and technological advancement. It has a highly maneuverable and versatile design capable of detecting, tracking, and combating a wide range of aerial threats, including airplanes, helicopters, and drones. The system's radar and missile technology allow it to function effectively in complex and contentious environments, providing strong protection against potential air attacks.
The Hongqi-17AE is an export version of the Hongqi-17A, developed by the Second Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, which in turn is a lightweight and improved version of the Hongqi-17, using a 6x6 wheeled chassis instead of a tracked one, which greatly reduces the weight of the system, procurement costs and simplifies logistics. The standard Hongqi-17AE missile battery consists of 1 command vehicle, 4 missile launchers, 2 loading vehicles and 2 ammunition carriers. Each missile launcher has 2 vertical launch modules for a total of 8 vertical launch units.
The Hongqi-17 was developed on the basis of the Russian Daur-M1 short-range anti-aircraft missile system, on the basis of which a number of improvements were made, additional autonomous solutions and technologies were introduced. It integrates a Chinese-made all-terrain tracked launch vehicle, a new identification of friend or foe antenna on top of the search radar, active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and passive electronically scanned array (PESA) radar, and the ability to link data with other Chinese systems.
The Hongqi-17 missile is similar to the 1K9K331 missile used by the Doyle-M331, weighs about 165 kg, is about 2.9 meters long, has a diameter of about 0.23 meters, is powered by a solid rocket engine, and has a maximum flight speed of Mach 3. The Hongqi-17 intercepts air targets at an oblique range of 1.5 km to 15 km, which is slightly larger than the Doyle-M1 missile, and the launch altitude range is 10 m to 10 km.
The missile guidance system uses semi-active radar guidance, aided by AESA guidance radar, PESA search radar, television tracking sight or thermal tracking sight on the launch vehicle, with a maximum detection range of 45 km, which can monitor 48 targets, track 24 of them and attack 2 targets at the same time.
The chassis of the Hongqi-17AE is based on the EQ2280DY30 all-terrain vehicle produced by Dongfeng Company, and the body is equipped with light armor, an automatic fire extinguishing system and a central tire inflation system. The maximum road speed is up to 80 km/h. Unlike the original Doyle, the Hongqi-17AE can shoot at targets at a speed of 30 km / h while driving, and the reaction time from the detection of the target to the launch of an anti-aircraft missile is less than 8 seconds.
In addition to the Hongqi-17AE, Serbia has also purchased a large number of Chinese-made weapons since 2019, such as the CH-92 and CH-95 "Rainbow" armed drones, FT-8 precision-guided air-to-surface missiles, and the FK-3 medium and long-range air defense missile system, which is an export version of China's Hongqi-22 air defense missile system, which can provide medium and long-range air defense coverage, which complements the Hongqi-17AE. These arms purchases underscore the deepening defense ties between the two countries and enhance Serbia's reconnaissance and strike capabilities and air defense capabilities.