China Shows Off HQ-20 Live Fire Test

Defence affairs - china morning post

"HQ-20 live-fire footage in PLAAF anniversary film reveals the true capabilities of China's new-generation air defense system, which is now fully operational in Beijing's A2/AD network."

China recently released an Air Force anniversary film featuring the world's first live-fire test of the HQ-20 air defense missile system, marking a significant moment in the evolution of Beijing's increasingly sophisticated multi-layered air defense and missile architecture.

The footage, included in a People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) commemorative video, shows the entire HQ-20 launch cycle from the canister raising process to the release of the interceptor, providing a never-before-obtained detailed look at a system that has previously only been showcased in military parades or static displays.

This revelation shows that the HQ-20 has moved rapidly from its debut in the September 2025 Victory Day Parade to active engagement in actual operational exercises across China's air defense network, thus changing defense experts' perceptions of the country's medium- and medium-high-range defense capabilities.

The footage also shows for the first time the HQ-20's eight-cell vertical launcher configuration in operation, confirming previous assessments that the system was designed to fill a critical gap between the HQ-16 and HQ-22A surface-to-air missile families.

By displaying the full launch live, Beijing demonstrated that the HQ-20 is no longer a concept, nor an experimental system or mere parade equipment, but a combat-ready asset that has already been fully integrated into the actual operational structure of China's air defense forces.

This display also carries a strong strategic message to regional countries including Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, India and the United States that China is now strengthening the depth, density and sophistication of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) umbrella technology at a very rapid pace.