China has announced improvements to its HQ-16 surface-to-air missile, its version of the missile fired by the notorious Russian 9K37 Buk missile system that shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) over Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 innocent civilians on board.

The upgrades by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) include an improved motor to increase range; active and semi-active radar guidance and the addition of fins mounted near the center of the SAM. The resulting missile given the designation HQ-16B also has a far longer range than its predecessor, the HQ-16A.

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The improvements allow the HQ-16B to hit aircraft out to some 69 kilometers compared to the 40 km range of the HQ-16A.

The HQ-16A, unveiled in 2011, was built by China and Russia, and is similar to the Russian 9M38 missiles, a variant of which destroyed Flight 17. The 9M38 missile that blew MH 17 out of the sky is 5.55 meters long and weighs 690 kilograms.

It carries a massive 70 kilogram warhead triggered by a radar proximity fuze that detonates a short distance from its target aircraft. It has a range of 72,000 feet.

Russian commentators said a key Chinese concern that led to the upgrades of the HQ-16B is the coming deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system to South Korean starting 2017. They claim THAAD has the range that will allow it to strike the Chinese mainland.

"To develop suitable capabilities of missile defense is necessary for China to maintain national security and improve defense capabilities," said Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Sr. Col. Yang Yujun.

"It is not targeting any other country or target, nor is it jeopardizing the international strategic equilibrium."

A navalized version of the HQ-16, the HHQ-16, was recently installed aboard the Shenzhen, the only Type 051B Luhai-class destroyer of the People's Liberation Army Navy.

The refurbished Shenzhen is armed with a 32-cell vertical launch system capable of firing HHQ-16s with a range of 30 kilometers and a maximum speed of 3,460 km/h.

TagsHQ-16 surface-to-air missile, china, Russian 9K37 Buk missile system, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, Ukraine, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, HQ-16B, Russia