The HQ-7 family of SAMs are derivatives of the reverse engineered Thomson CSF Crotale.
The HQ-7 is a Chinese clone of the French Thales/Thomson CSF Crotale SAM. During the 1970s the French supplied samples of the Crotale which was promptly reverse engineered. The cloned Crotale has been built in two configurations, a high mobility variant for PLA Army units on a 4 x 4 scout vehicle, and a less mobile PLA-AF air field defence system, using either a trailer or a truck platform. A naval variant as also been developed.
A four round elevating tube launcher turret is used, mounting the Ku-band Automatic Command to Line Of Sight monopulse radar dish antenna. Export variants are the FM-80 and improved FM-90 with a FLIR tracker and longer ranging missiles.
The naval HQ-7 installations on the Lua, Luhu, Luhia and Jiangwai II classes employ the Type 345 engagement radar, believed to be a reverse engineered Thomson-CSF Castor 2J/C.
If the Chinese copy of the Castor 2J/C is faithful then it will have pulse compression, velocity discrimination filters, frequency agility to enable clutter de-correlation and a passive tracking capability. System employs Doppler tracking with a first blind speed of 1,000m/sec.
Maximum airborne target tracking range is given as 40km. Antenna beamwidth is reported to be 0.67º with 43 dB of gain across a stabilized elevation of -25º~+85º. Peak power is given at 30kW with an antenna gain of 43.0dB.
A four round elevating tube launcher turret is used, mounting the Ku-band Automatic Command to Line Of Sight monopulse radar dish antenna. Export variants are the FM-80 and improved FM-90 with a FLIR tracker and longer ranging missiles.
The naval HQ-7 installations on the Lua, Luhu, Luhia and Jiangwai II classes employ the Type 345 engagement radar, believed to be a reverse engineered Thomson-CSF Castor 2J/C.
If the Chinese copy of the Castor 2J/C is faithful then it will have pulse compression, velocity discrimination filters, frequency agility to enable clutter de-correlation and a passive tracking capability. System employs Doppler tracking with a first blind speed of 1,000m/sec.
Maximum airborne target tracking range is given as 40km. Antenna beamwidth is reported to be 0.67º with 43 dB of gain across a stabilized elevation of -25º~+85º. Peak power is given at 30kW with an antenna gain of 43.0dB.
| Type 345 [Castor 2J/C] Specifications | |
| Operating Band [MHz] | 15,700 ~ 17,700 |
| PRF [pps] | 3,550 ~ 3,650 7,150 ~ 7,250 |
| PRI [μsec] | 273.9 ~ 281.7 137.9 ~ 139.8 |
| PD [μsec] | 7.4 ~ 7.6 |
| Angle Tracking | Monopulse |
HQ-7FS engagement radar towed.
HQ-7FS/FM-80 engagement radar on 4 x 4 TELAR.
HQ-7FS/FM-90 engagement radar on 6 x 6 TELAR (image © 2009, Zhenguan Studio).
HQ-7FS/FM-80 engagement radar on 4 x 4 TELAR.
HQ-7FS/FM-90 engagement radar on 6 x 6 TELAR (image © 2009, Zhenguan Studio).
Type 345 Crotale engagement radar (image © 2009, Zhenguan Studio).