The military parade on September 3rd is not only a commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, but also an important window to observe the modernization of the People's Liberation Army. The unveiling of the Hongqi-29 anti-missile system has drawn much attention, as it represents the latest achievements in China's air defense and missile interception field.

The existence of the Hongqi-29 anti-missile system was first reported earlier this year, when a photo appeared on social media showing a new platform that resembled an intercontinental ballistic missile launcher, but with two missile canisters, being transported on a highway.

The official unveiling of the Hongqi-29

Subsequently, this new platform made another appearance during the military parade rehearsal in August. Now we can finally confirm that this platform is China's most advanced air defense and missile interception system, the Hongqi-29.

To understand the value of the Hongqi-29, we first need to understand the flight process of ballistic missiles.

Generally, the flight phases of a ballistic missile can be divided into the boost phase, mid-course phase, and re-entry phase. In military terminology, "mid-course interception" refers to intercepting a missile after it has left the atmosphere, during its near-uniform motion in space. This is considered the "golden window" for interception because the missile's trajectory is relatively fixed and stable, and its flight time is the longest.

The biggest challenge of mid-course interception lies in both the interceptor itself and the construction of the information chain, which requires completing the process of "enemy missile launch warning - tracking and detection - locking and launching the interceptor - evaluating the interception effect" within a short period of time. Otherwise, any missing or erroneous link may affect the final result.

Hongqi-19, which forms the missile defense system with the Hongqi-29

This means that China not only needs the Hongqi-29, but also needs to establish a cross-domain coordinated missile defense system centered around the Hongqi-29, including early warning radar systems, reconnaissance satellites, command and control systems, and other components.

From the display at the military parade, it can be seen that the Hongqi-29 uses a vehicle similar to the Dongfeng-26 missile, with each missile launch canister having an estimated diameter of 1.5 meters. This not only means that the interception missile is large in size, with strong propulsion capabilities and a long range, but also indicates that the Hongqi-29 can quickly change positions, effectively avoiding enemy reconnaissance and "first-strike" attacks, significantly enhancing its survival capability.

The U.S. "Defense Blog" website believes that the emergence of the Hongqi-29 will fill the capability gap between China's missile defense system and the strategic interception systems of the United States and Russia.

Possibly the Hongqi-29 on the left

Different from short-range interception systems designed to counter aircraft or cruise missiles, the Hongqi-29 aims to intercept ballistic missiles before they reach their targets, and will work together with systems like the Hongqi-9 and Hongqi-19 to form a multi-layered air defense and missile interception system in China that combines high and low altitudes, and long and short ranges.

In fact, before the official unveiling of the Hongqi-29, China had already successfully conducted multiple mid-course missile interception tests, even achieving seven consecutive successes in land-based missile interception technology tests.

The unveiling of the Hongqi-29 at the military parade is essentially a declaration to the world, especially to the United States, that China indeed possesses a "secret weapon" to deal with the missile threats from the United States and its allies.

We need to note that in recent years, the U.S. military, politicians, and think tanks have increasingly mentioned "nuclear war," either simulating how to use tactical nuclear weapons to attack China's mainland or calling for expanding the scope of the U.S. "nuclear umbrella" in the Asia-Pacific region.

A possible image of the Hongqi-29 system taken by netizens in June

The logic behind the Americans' actions is basically assuming that the U.S. has more nuclear warheads than China, and that the number of interceptors in the U.S. missile defense system is sufficient to counter China's nuclear retaliation, so the U.S. dares to threaten China with "nuclear war."

Therefore, since the U.S. is eager to use nuclear weapons, we also need to let these arrogant Americans realize that things have changed, and dispel some of their arrogant thoughts.

This is precisely the significance of the Hongqi-29, as it greatly enhances China's ability to respond to intercontinental ballistic missile threats, especially those missiles with ranges covering China's key targets, thereby significantly increasing China's strategic warning time and response margin.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7545679774077714984/

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