KWIC news September 11: After the Gulf War, China adjusted the focus of its national defence strategy. It has made a continuous effort in developing different kinds of surface-to-air missiles with an emphasis on the improvement in its air defence capability under the electronic interference in a modern war. At the Farnborough Air Show held in England this year, China showed its QW2 portable air defence missile and FM90 multi-functional surface-to-air missile for the first time. They originated respectively from the QW1 made in 1994 and the FM80 produced in the mid-to-late 1980s. Called HQ7 in China, the FM80 derived from the French-made Crotale ship-to-air missile. The basic functions of the QW2 include a missile velocity of 600m/s (600m/s, the figures bracketed hereafter are for the QW1.), a lethal slant distance of 500 to 6000m (500 to 5000m), and a target-hitting altitude of 10 to 3500m (operational altitude of 30 to 4000m). As for the basic functions of the FM90, the maximum operational range is 15km (12km FM80). It is obvious that the new QW2 and FM90 each feature a longer range and a higher velocity. In addition, their anti-electronic interference capability has also been improved through various manufacturing methods.( Edited by Yihong Zhang KWIC News).

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