China’s latest HQ-13 short-range air defense (SHORAD) variant adds an amphibious capability to its air defense arsenal, enhancing protection for coastal and marine operations in contested waters.
Revealed on November 9, the new variant combines the HQ-13 launcher and radar with the Type 05 infantry vehicle, also known as the ZBD-05.
The amphibious HQ-13 is expected to move with People’s Liberation Army Marine Corps landing forces, protecting them from helicopter, drone, and cruise missile threats.
Weighing about 26 tonnes (57,000 pounds), the platform features an aluminum hull, water-jet propulsion, and a 1,500-horsepower diesel engine.
The modified Type 05 hull maintains a planing speed of 30 kilometers (19 miles) per hour on water and 65 kilometers (40 miles) per hour on land.
To maintain the vehicle’s high water speed, engineers balanced the radar’s weight and sealed its electronics to preserve buoyancy and saltwater resistance.
Amphibious Air Defense Network
Operating in standard formations of four radar vehicles and sixteen launchers, the system can cover a 15-by-10-kilometer (9.3-by-6.2-mile) brigade front.
The amphibious HQ-13 bridges a long-standing gap between shipborne and shore-based air defenses, providing protection from the sea phase through the beachhead.
Its high mobility enables “shoot-and-scoot” tactics, allowing rapid repositioning after firing to evade counterattack and maintain continuous coverage.
Earlier Variant
Developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation’s Eighth Academy, the HQ-13 is a self-propelled, short-range surface-to-air missile system.
The previous version mounted on a Dongfeng Mengshi 6×6 all-terrain vehicle packs a compact rotating radar, twin missile rails, and electro-optical sensors into a single mobile fire unit.
The setup resembles the earlier SWS3 gun-missile SHORAD concept but removes the 35mm cannon in favor of a dedicated two-missile launcher.
