A part of the U.S. Navy contingent at this 12 months’s EAA AirVenture occasion, the native Wisconsin Air Nationwide Guard confirmed off a spread of its gear, together with a full scale surrogate goal duplicate of a Chinese language HQ-16 floor to air missile system.
The most recent to be revealed in a collection of surrogate goal automobiles utilised by the united statesmilitary to simulate Chinese language gear, the HQ-16 surrogate goal seems to copy the multi-function radar automobile that varieties a part of an HQ-16 battery. The ‘radar’ will be seen deployed upwards from the rear of the automobile.
Surrogate targets are used to supply army crews, notably these working plane, a full scale visible illustration of what they may anticipate to see in a fight scenario to assist their recognition and identification abilities. In lots of circumstances the targets are designed to additionally replicate the true gear’s radar signature as a lot as doable, and can be tailored to imitate their anticipated infrared signatures.
By pairing surrogate targets collectively, visually correct clusters or bases of hostile forces will be replicated rapidly inside coaching areas. Importantly, by developing the replicas to be simply transportable the targets can be repositioned quickly and permit ranges to be dynamic, similar to an actual battlespace, presenting new challenges to personnel for every sortie.
Apart from missile launchers and radar methods, sorts of gear ceaselessly replicated utilizing surrogate targets embrace plane, tanks, and artillery weapons and launchers.
A phase from the video that exhibits a ROKAF F-35A dropping an inert GBU-12, which scores a direct hit on a transferring goal (a surrogate ballistic missile TEL) on the Pilsung Firing Vary. pic.twitter.com/t7brYSh2TL
— Man Plopsky (@GuyPlopsky) April 19, 2024
The observe of utilizing full scale replicas on this style is pretty frequent and options extensively each inside the U.S. army and abroad. In June we reported on elaborate mockups of Russian gear positioned inside a big Italian coaching vary.
Surrogate targets can vary from these excessive constancy replicas all the best way right down to crude inflatable, wooden, or sheet metallic constructions, typically with identifiable particulars marked on the perimeters with paint. Each varieties can present coaching worth relying on the precise case of their use. Easier and cheaper replicas will be employed for reside hearth workouts which might destroy comparatively costly excessive constancy replicas.
This HQ-16 mock up is exceptionally detailed even when in comparison with among the highest constancy replications and will surely look near the true factor when considered from an extended vary by means of electro-optical sights.
In some circumstances, the U.S. and quite a lot of different nations have been in a position to procure real articles of opposing drive gear to be used on coaching ranges. These are sometimes, in fact, probably the most invaluable of all focusing on aids. Notably, the U.S. has even been seen working Russian or Soviet-built radar methods close to their coaching amenities to supply an efficient 1:1 simulation, and in addition guarantee radar cross-section discount measures are efficient towards frontline platforms.
One well-known space the place this observe is obvious is across the outskirts of Space 51, or Groom Lake. Analysis web site Dreamland Resort has cataloged numerous websites within the space the place non-American gear from numerous eras is visibly deployed alongside assist buildings and provision for communications and electrical energy. Not like surrogate targets as proven off at Oshkosh, these websites should not as simply transportable or configurable by common personnel, as a substitute probably requiring very specific data and expertise to function accurately and safely. New sorts of radar methods across the Nevada Check and Coaching Vary (NTTR) have been famous being added frequently.
To the south, at Nellis Air Pressure Base, the U.S. Air Pressure operates a facility it affectionately refers to because the ‘petting zoo’. Housing a powerful assortment of international army gear acquired by means of numerous means through the years, the power is used to intimately familiarize U.S. army personnel with opposing gear and applied sciences. It’s maintained by the 547th Intelligence Squadron, who’re accountable for producing the U.S. Air Pressure’s menace reference information.
Traditionally, the first focus of this type of gear acquisition has been on Russian and Soviet designs, however in recent times China’s speedy technological progress and divestiture away from counting on Russian-derived gear signifies that China is now within the entrance of menace analysts’ minds. That being mentioned, the battle in Ukraine has allowed the U.S. and its Allies extraordinary alternatives to analyse fashionable Russian gear, even of varieties not obtainable for export, which has been captured by Ukrainian forces.
HQ-16 Floor to Air Missile
The HQ-16 is a vertically-launched, medium vary floor to air missile in service with each Chinese language and Pakistani forces. Thought-about to be derived from the Russian ‘Buk’ SAM system, the missile was first deployed in vertical launch cells on Folks’s Liberation Military Navy floor vessels.
Land primarily based HQ-16s began appearing in 2011, with preliminary variants providing a spread of round 40 kilometres. Upgrades elevated this to round 75 kilometres. It is among the extra quite a few land primarily based SAMs in service with the Folks’s Liberation Military.
Wreckage of an HQ-16 SAM in Pakistan, probably expended in the course of the drone assault on Lahore Cantt on eighth Might through which an HQ-9 Air-defence system Cell command publish was liquidated. pic.twitter.com/p1M06us97N
— Alternative of Inevitability (@Mark99xm) Might 20, 2025
Through the Might 2025 conflict between India and Pakistan, HQ-16 (designated LY-80) methods have been deployed by Pakistan to counter Indian plane, however little is understood about their effectiveness.
Additionally at Oshkosh
Organised by the Experimental Plane Affiliation in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the annual AirVenture occasion is taken into account to be the world’s largest airshow. This 12 months, the present clocked up 704,000 attendees, breaking its personal file. Over 10,000 plane arrived at airfields within the space, averaging 108 take-offs and landings per hour.
Chairman and CEO of EAA Jack Pelton mentioned “We discovered ourselves revising our preliminary attendance estimate upward as soon as all the ultimate weekend’s numbers have been in, together with from an incredible day on Saturday, July 26. This 12 months’s success is a credit score to our 6,000 volunteers, our employees members, and our companions as they proceed to boost the bar on what’s doable as we carry the aviation world to Oshkosh.”
Alongside an array of civilian plane shows, crowds have been handled to an air to air refueling demonstration that includes a KC-135 with F-35 Lightning IIs within the midst of a Wisconsin Air Nationwide Guard exhibition of artillery, infantry, and helicopter fight.
Beale Air Pressure Base despatched considered one of their U-2 Dragon Girl plane to the present, which was a spotlight for a lot of throughout its days on static show in addition to its charismatic arrival and departure, very similar to on the current Royal Worldwide Air Tattoo within the UK.
EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh returns in 2026 between July 20 and July 26.
