The Armed Forces of Uzbekistan have strengthened their air defense with Chinese anti-aircraft systems.

SavunmaSanayiST media outlet reported on this.

The systems were reportedly demonstrated during the country’s president’s visit to the Center for Innovative Technologies of the Defense Industry Agency of Uzbekistan.

Two Chinese products can be recognized in the photos: the export version of the FM-90 of the HQ-7 small-radius system and the export version of the KS-1C of the HQ-12 medium-radius system.

The photo also captures the Uzbek TARLON armored vehicle.

How many systems China has supplied and how much they cost Uzbekistan remains unknown.

It is reported that the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan have two anti-aircraft missile brigades in their structure as part of the Air Defense and Air Force.

These brigades are armed with one battery with four S-1252M Pechora-2M launchers and two batteries with S-125M1 Neva-M1 launchers.

In addition, there are S-75 systems in service and S-200 systems in storage.

HQ-7

The HQ-7 is a Chinese short-range anti-aircraft missile system developed on the basis of the French Crotale system.

It is designed to protect military facilities, infrastructure, and armored units from attacks by airplanes, helicopters, cruise missiles, and drones.

Its range is between 0.5 and 12 km, and the impact height is between 15 m and 6 km. The reaction time of the system is approximately 6 seconds.

The missile uses a solid-fuel engine with a speed of about 750 m/s. The guidance system is combined: semi-active radar or infrared. Fire control is carried out using radar and optoelectronic tracking, which ensures the effective destruction of air targets even in electronic warfare conditions.

HQ-12

HQ-12 is a Chinese medium-range anti-aircraft missile system developed to replace the outdated Soviet S-75 systems.

The range is from 7 to 50 km, and the impact height is between 300 m and 25 km. The system uses solid-fuel missiles capable of reaching speeds of up to 1,200 m/s.

It is guided by a semi-active radar system that allows it to engage aerodynamic targets, including aircraft, cruise missiles, and drones. HQ-12 is equipped with a modern radar station that is resistant to electronic warfare.