China China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation
HQ-19
China's exo-atmospheric ballistic missile defense system, roughly analogous in role to the U.S. THAAD, intended to intercept medium-range ballistic missiles in their terminal or midcourse phase. Development has been publicly confirmed through flight tests but detailed specifications remain closely held.
In service since 2017 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
3,000
km range
150,000
m altitude
Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
Chinese state channel
State export agencies (NORINCO/CATIC); limited availability to Western-aligned states.
Channel: State export agency
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 2017. Status: active.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Engagement range
Maximum distance at which an air-defense system can intercept targets. Higher covers more airspace.
- 3,000 km Top 1% of air-defense systems
- Engagement altitude
Maximum target altitude the system can reach.
- 150,000 m Top 4% of air-defense systems
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- Exo-atmospheric hit-to-kill interceptor
- Guidance
How the weapon finds its target: inertial, GPS/GLONASS, active/semi-active radar, infrared, laser, TV, wire.
- Inertial navigation, radar midcourse update, infrared terminal homing
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- Associated large phased-array early-warning and tracking radar
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 1 Stronger than 19% of air-defense systems
Specifications compiled from public China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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What is the engagement range of the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation HQ-19? +
The China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation HQ-19 has a maximum engagement range of 3,000 km.
What is the main armament of the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation HQ-19? +
The China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation HQ-19's primary weapon is the Exo-atmospheric hit-to-kill interceptor.
What is the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation HQ-19 used for? +
The China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation HQ-19 is a air defense system typically used for air defense.
How many countries operate the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation HQ-19? +
The China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation HQ-19 is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation HQ-19 cost? +
China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation HQ-19: Unit cost not publicly disclosed. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.
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