The evidence of Airshow China is that China's guided weapon sector is growing exponentially, with an unprecedented number of new, sometimes overlapping, programmes. IHS examines the situation and the outlook.

1. IHS Jane’s
Analysis: China’s Guided
Weapons Sector
Robert Hewson, Editor, IHS Jane’s Weapons: Air-Launched
January 2013
Introduction (Mach 4+) weapons; long-range gliding dispenser
The evidence of Airshow China 2012 is that China's weapons; specialist penetrator weapons for hardened
guided weapon sector is growing exponentially, with an target attacks; laser-guided rockets; and a fuel-air
unprecedented number of new, sometimes overlapping, explosive (FAE) bomb. Continuing progress could be seen
programmes. in the development of small weapons both for unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAVs) and for internal carriage on China's
Although chiefly an aerospace event, Airshow China is future fighters. There were also new air-launched
increasingly home to a land and maritime systems derivatives of missiles previously seen only in the surface-
component and 2012’s event brought together an to-surface role - and even new surface-to-air versions of
impressive array of new weapons for all three domains. current air-to-air missiles.
More than a dozen new weapons, never before seen in The expanded range of air-defence products at Zhuhai -
public, appeared – along with many improvements to as with all other exhibits, all available for export - was very
existing products. This underlines the ever-growing obvious. Several previously unknown mobile multi-
capabilities of China's weapon makers and the ever- weapon/multi-sensor ground-based air-defence systems
increasing product range that China now offers for export. were on show, alongside fully functional hardware for
large systems such as the FD-2000 (export designation
There were several notable firsts among the air weapon HQ-9) and LY-80 (export designation HQ-16).
exhibits, including China's first dedicated anti-radiation
defence suppression weapons; its first very-high-speed
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2. IHS Analysis: China’s Guided Weapon Sector
China is also offering an increasing number of precision- Air-Launched Weapons
guided surface-to-surface weapons and Airshow China The appearance of a new air-launched anti-radiation
2012 saw the first public appearances of the CM-501G missile (ARM) was a significant development at the show.
and WS-33 truck-launched medium-range missiles, plus The weapon, the LD-10, is being promoted for export by
the latest WS-22 and WS-32 variants of the WS-2 multiple the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and is a
rocket launcher family. product of the Luoyang Optoelectro Technology
There were strong appearances from Chinese weapon Development Centre (LOEC). The missile, which is closely
makers that had not previously attended the show. This based on LOEC's SD-10 (PL-12) air-to-air missile (AAM),
included Norinco (the China North Industries Corporation), is the first dedicated ARM to be observed in China. LOEC
whose Harbin Jiancheng Group subsidiary showed eight officials told IHS Jane's that the LD-10 is already in
air-launched weapons (seven of which had not been production for an (unnamed) export customer.
exhibited before). Also making its debut was the China AVIC data identifies the PAC/AVIC JF-17 Thunder (FC-1)
South Industries Group Corporation (CSG), which brought as the "typical carrier aircraft" for the LD-10. This points
a collection of bombs, including the CS/BBF1 FAE bomb, directly to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) as the customer
plus a dispenser weapon - all newly revealed in public. for the missile. A senior PAF officer noted at the show that
Better known as an automobile manufacturer (it has joint the Brazilian-built Mectron MAR-1 ARM is already
ventures with Ford, Suzuki, and Volvo among others), integrated and operational with the JF-17 but suggested
CSG displayed an entire hall full of combat vehicles, that it was preferable to have "options" when it came to
including armoured transports, air defence and radar future JF-17 exports. LOEC officials also acknowledged
systems, UAV launch-and-control vehicles, all-terrain the status of the MAR-1 on the JF-17 but added that the
vehicles and even a mine-resistant ambush-protected LD-10 was a lighter, more modern weapon that offered
(MRAP) vehicle. This was the first time such a greater effective range (quoted as 60 km). JF-17
concentration of land systems had been brought to programme officials added that the aircraft is close to
Airshow China (there were many other military vehicles winning new orders outside Pakistan.
from other manufacturers also), underlining the fact that
LOEC representatives would not be drawn on where the
the event has become a major showcase for China's
seeker technology for the LD-10 was developed. The
defence industry as a whole. company already has some experience in anti-radiation
systems and has incorporated a passive homing mode in
the SD-10 AAM. However, the seeker for that missile was
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3. IHS Analysis: China’s Guided Weapon Sector
developed with Russian input and well-placed Russian have an inertial navigation system fitted, but a receiver
sources suggest that the Omsk-based Avtomatika antenna on the nose also points to an additional satellite
concern, which specialises in air-to-surface anti-radiation guidance capability.
seekers, may have assisted with the LD-10.
CSG has adopted complex (and opaque) designations for
An anti-radiation seeker is also being offered by the China its new air-launched systems, referring to its new gliding
Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) dispenser as the CS/BBC5. This is a 500 kg-class stand-
for its new FT-6A extended-range glide bomb. The FT-6 is off weapon designed to deliver several payload options
a 250 kg-class weapon that mates a Mk 82-type bomb over long ranges and at low cost. CSG provided almost no
body with a wing kit that delivers a glide range of 60 km. information on this, or any of its products, but noted that
The latest FT-6A incorporates an anti-radiation seeker that the CS/BBC5 is intended for all-weather use over
allows the weapon to directly target air-defence systems, distances that allow the launch aircraft to avoid hostile air
and mobile systems in particular. CASC has developed defences. Two satellite receiver antennas mounted on top
additional new terminal seeker options for the GPS/INS- of the airframe indicate that the CS/BBC5 uses a GPS-
guided FT bomb family and showed an improved FT-3A aided inertial navigation system. CSG said that a
weapon fitted with a TV/imaging infrared seeker. submunition payload or a unitary warhead can be carried.
According to CASC, the bomb's accuracy has been
improved from a circular error probable (CEP) of about 20 Alongside the Tianlei, Norinco/Harbin Jiancheng exhibited
m to less than 3 m with the new seeker. new precision-guided munitions (PGMs) ranging from 100
kg to 1,000 kg (the TG100, TG250, TG250-ER, TG500
Norinco and CSG both exhibited new stand-off dispenser and TG1000). The Tiange PGM family (named after an
weapons in the class of the US AGM-154 Joint Stand-Off ancient Chinese weapon resembling a pike; Tiange
Weapon. The two Chinese weapons are remarkably roughly translates as 'Sky Spear') breaks down along
similar in appearance and performance and may well have three distinct lines. Within these divisions the weapons
been developed to meet a competitive export requirement. exhibit cues from various US and Russian guided-bomb
Norinco's Tianlei (Sky Thunder) has a gliding range of designs, but all in distinctly Chinese final form. The Tiange
more than 80 km. It weighs 680 kg and can deliver a mix bombs are mostly dual-mode weapons with GPS/INS
of submunition types. Company officials said that 12 anti- guidance and semi-active laser homing in the terminal
runway penetrating bomblets can be carried for an airfield phase. Only the 500 kg TG500 stands apart as a single-
attack, but up to 100 anti-personnel bomblets could be mode (laser-guided) bomb. As the largest weapon, the
loaded for an area attack mission. The Tianlei is certain to 1,050 kg TG1000 is perhaps the most important as it is a
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4. IHS Analysis: China’s Guided Weapon Sector
specialist penetrator. It closely resembles the US GBU-28 electro-optical seekers for the 50 kg-class LS-6-50 and the
Paveway III design (although it is less than half the 100 kg-class LS-6-100.
weight) and Norinco says it is capable of penetrating more
than 2.4 m of concrete reinforced to a strength of 35 MPa. Two recently developed small weapons from CASIC
The TG1000 is claimed to be accurate to within 3 m over a (China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation) were
maximum range of about 20 km. However, company also arranged alongside the Wing Loong. The YZ-200 is
officials noted that it had not yet undergone airborne drop described by CASIC as a precision-guided bomb for
tests. UAVs, helicopters, and fighter aircraft. While CASIC did
not identify the guidance type used, the display article was
At the other end of the scale is the 130 kg TG100, which identified as a laser-guided bomb. A CASIC YZ-100 anti-
appears to have the same Paveway III genes as the personnel bomb was also on show.
TG1000 and resembles a GBU-22 in many ways. It has
been developed to equip UAVs, armed trainers and light In the exhibition halls a model of the CASIC CM-502KG
combat aircraft and was one of several new small air-to-surface missile was displayed carried by a model of
weapons to be found at Zhuhai. CASIC's high-speed WJ-600 UAV. A similar configuration
was present at Airshow China 2010, but the weapon was
UAV Weapons not identified on that occasion. Now CASIC notes that the
CM-502KG is a lightweight missile with a 25 km range and
Alongside the first true example of an operational, armed an 11 kg warhead optimised for precise strikes against
Chinese UAV (the AVIC Chengdu Wing Loong) at Airshow targets on land or at sea.
China were four different tailored lightweight weapons. On
its underwing hardpoints the UAV carried a pair of Norinco Another contender in the small precision weapon arena
HJ-10 (KD-10) air-to-surface anti-armour missiles could be glimpsed at Norinco, where Harbin Jiancheng
identified on this occasion with their export designation displayed a range of 90 mm airborne rockets designated
Blue Arrow 7. The Hellfire-class HJ-10 has already been Tianjian (Sky Arrow). Company data says that a guidance
extensively trialled with the Wing Loong and this particular option is available and illustrations depict what appears to
aircraft was painted with 15 'missile shot' silhouettes. be a laser-guided rocket: the first time such a system has
been observed in China.
The LOEC LS-6-50 small-diameter bomb was displayed
with the Wing Loong: the first time this weapon has been There was an avalanche of new weapon programmes in
expressly associated with a UAV. Elsewhere at the show evidence at Airshow China and, while it is not possible to
LOEC exhibited the separate semi-active laser and assess the real status of many of these, experience shows
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5. IHS Analysis: China’s Guided Weapon Sector
that most of what first appears at Zhuhai ends up as real baseline GPS/INS guidance fit that can be augmented to
hardware. In many cases, some of what is presented as provide man-in-the-loop control, according to CASIC.
'brochure-ware' in public is already hardware, as
evidenced by the appearance this year of AVIC's Ground-Based Air Defence
'conceptual fighter' model (the real-world Shenyang J-31) An array of new ground-based air-defence systems
and illustrations of the CASIC CM-400AKG very-high- (GBADS) were also on display in Zhuhai, with a clear
speed missile – which was later confirmed to already be in trend towards mobile, multipurpose systems with a
PAF service. combination of gun and missile armament.
CASIC continued to tease observers at the event with CASIC showed its KS-1000 short- to medium-range SAM,
glimpses of several significant new weapons. These part of the new FK-1000 mobile system. The KS-1000
included the CM-506KG: seemingly a close copy of the bears a strong resemblance to the KBP 9M311 missile
US GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb. Illustrations show a that equips several Russian air-defence systems, while
compact precision-guided glide bomb in the 150 kg class the FK-1000 itself has adopted a configuration not unlike
fitted with a DiamondBack-type folding wing that gives a KBP's Pantsir-S1 truck-mounted mobile gun/missile
claimed range of 130 km. The baseline weapon has system.
GPS/INS guidance, but this can be augmented with
additional terminal seekers. According to CASIC, the FK-1000 is an all-weather mid- to
low-altitude air-defence system with a combined
The radar-guided CASIC C-705 anti-ship missile, gun/missile armament in an integrated combat vehicle
meanwhile, has been transformed into a multipurpose air- capable of conducting independent acquisition, tracking
launched weapon. The new C-705KD is turbojet-powered and engagement of multiple targets. The system is
weapon with a range of 140 km. It is fitted with a designed for battlefield air defence against fixed-wing
TV/imaging infrared seeker and datalink for precision aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, and cruise missiles.
attack, with man-in-the-loop control. A new warhead and
fuse can also be fitted. Also to hand was a new evolution of the CASIC FL-2000
mobile short-range air-defence system: the FL-2000C.
The C-602 anti-ship missile has also evolved into the CM- This is a 4x4 truck-mounted system that is larger and
602G land-attack weapon, which can be fired from a more capable than the various FL-2000 systems seen to
three-tube mobile truck launcher as well as from ships. date (of which there are at least three). The FL-2000C has
The missile has a 290 km range with a 480 kg penetrating a combined radar and electro-optical target detection and
blast/fragmentation warhead. The CM-602G has a
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6. IHS Analysis: China’s Guided Weapon Sector
tracking system and is armed with two pods of a new type
of infrared (IR)-guided SAM. CASIC does not identify this
weapon but notes that it has a 90 mm diameter.
Elsewhere a new type of staring IR seeker designated the
FB-10 was displayed by CASIC and this is almost
certainly linked with the FL-2000C.
Export versions of CASIC's heavy mobile SAM systems -
the FD-2000 (HQ-9) and LY-80 (HQ-16) - were shown at
Zhuhai along with their missiles and associated radar
vehicles. Hardware for these systems had not been
displayed previously at Airshow China.
Under the AVIC banner, LOEC revealed a surface-to-air
version of its SD-10A air-to-air missile (AAM) that is very
different to earlier proposals for a ground-based SD-10.
This surface-launched SD-10A is extensively modified to
combine the forward section of the AAM with an entirely
new mid- and rear section. The revised missile is now
5.054 m long but retains the same fuselage diameter as
the AAM. Four new centrebody strakes are attached to the
airframe, which also has significantly enlarged tail fins to
provide the enhanced manoeuvring control the SAM
demands. AVIC says the SD-10A SAM has an effective
range of 50 km and an operating altitude of 30 m to
20,000 m.
This analysis represents part of IHS Defense Weapons
news, insight and intelligence. To learn more visit
www.ihs.com/defenseweapons.
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7. IHS Analysis: China’s Guided Weapon Sector
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