FJ ABM

The Fan Ji (反击, meaning "counter strike") anti-ballistic missile (FJ ABM) was the missile used in the HQ-81 ABM system (ABMS), which was the land-based component of the 640-1 ABMS project. It, in turn, was part of the Chinese 640 ABMS project in the 1960s. Although the project was cancelled in March 1980, the experience gained helped China with its later ABMS development.

FJ-1/2/3
Type	Surface-to-air missile / Anti-ballistic missile
Place of origin	China
Service history
In service	1970's to Mar 9, 1980
Used by	China
Production history
Produced	Aug 1969 to Mar 9, 1980
Specifications
Mass	≈ 10 ton
Length	≈ 14 meter
Diameter	> 1 m
Detonation mechanism	Impact / Proximity
Engine	two stage rockets
Propellant	solid & liquid rockets
Operational range	50 km
Flight ceiling	40 km
Flight altitude	20 – 40 km
Maximum speed	≈ Mach hypersonic
Guidance system	SARH
Launch platform	land-based

640

The origin of FJ ABM traces back to December 15, 1963, when Chairman Mao Zedong first initiated the idea. On February 2, 1964, the formal requirement was issued. Also in 1964, the 2nd Academy of the 7th Ministry of Machinery Industry (currently the 2nd Academy of China Aerospace Science & Industry Corporation(CASIC)), also known as the Ministry of Aerospace Industry, began to work on the proposal and to establish programs at the same time. A plan outlining the missile defence weapon development submitted by the Chinese Commission for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (COSTIND) was approved in August 1965.[1] Subsequently, the project was formally named Project 640 (640工程), because the requirement was formally issued in 1964.

However, Project 640 was seriously disrupted by political turmoil in China, namely the Cultural Revolution that erupted in 1966.[1] Further complications arose due to the complexity of the project. In August 1969, the project was reorganized into several major sections, each with its own design function. Project 640 was divided into space-borne systems, which included CK-1 (长空一号 meaning Vast Sky # 1, with CK = Chang Kong), ELINT satellite, and FW-1 (反卫一号, meaning anti-satellite # 1 with FW = Fai Wei) anti-satellite, and land-based systems. The land-based systems were further divided into five different sections, including: Project 640-5 a study on the re-entry of warheads of ballistic missiles, Project 640-4 the early warning radar, Type 640-3 a laser gun research project, Project 640-2, the ABM super gun designated as Vanguard (Xianfeng 先锋),[2] and Project 640-1, the ABM missile system along with other supporting infrastructure, the primary portion of Project 640. On August 14, 1969, Zhou Enlai reassigned the 201st Institute of the 7th Ministry of Machinery Industry as the primary contractor of Project 640-2, assisted by the 1410th Institute of the Ministry of Electronic Industry, and the 2nd Academy of 7th Ministry of Machinery Industry as the primary contractor of Project 640-1.

640-1

Project 640-1 included the construction of a hypersonic wind tunnel with a half meter diameter. Constructed in the 1960s, it is still in use today, long after the cancellation of Project 640, for later missile and satellite programs, such as JL-1 and JL-2.[3]

Project 640-1 was located in Yunnan, where one of the huge radar sites was located, and COSTIND Base # 24, located in Kunming, the provincial capital, where most research was done. The base was kept secret for decades long after the cancellation of Project 640. It was not fully declassified until the 2010s.[4]

HQ-81

HQ-81 (红旗 HQ = Hong Qi, meaning Red Flag) was the ABMS of Project 640-1, consisting of Type 715 engagement radar, FJ series missiles and other fire control systems (but not including the early warning radar). During deployment, HQ-81 system would operate with information received from satellite and radar.

One of the achievements of HQ-81 is the S-7 vehicle-mounted field computer. It was used for many other Chinese missiles developed after Project 640 was cancelled, such as the DF-5. The need for such a large computer was due to the calculations needed for the FJ series missiles and its Type 715 fire control radar, as well as other information provided by sources such as Type 110 and Type 7010 radar, and the CK-1 ELINT satellite.

CK-1 ELINT satellite

The CK-1 (Chang-Kong Yi-hao 长空一号) ELINT satellite provided an early warning of an all-out attack by the former USSR. The primary contractor was the Shanghai Steam Turbine Factory,[5] the predecessor of the current (上海电气电站设备有限公司) which newly formed a 701st Department (七零一车间) on October 31, 1969, specially for Shanghai 4101 Project—the CK-1 program. The Huayi Electronics Factory (华一电器厂), the predecessor of the current Shanghai Huayi Electronics Factory Co. Ltd (上海华一电器厂有限公司) was tasked to design the computer on board CK-1.

CK-1 was designed to intercept Soviet radar and air defense network signals, and communication signals. The intelligence gathered would be downlinked to the Chinese military for analysis to detect any signs of a surprise attack. Although an attack never occurred, the intelligence gathered was nonetheless valuable, and the experience gained was used on later Chinese spy satellites. As with other Chinese military programs, CK-1 also suffered due to the Cultural Revolution. After the first two launches on September 18, 1973, and July 12, 1974, ended in failure, the following three launches using Feng Bao 1 rockets on July 26, 1975, December 16, 1975 and August 30, 1976, were successful.[6]

Type 7010 radar

In addition to receiving intelligence from the CK-1 ELINT satellite, the primary early warning of the HQ-81 ABMS was the massive Type 7010 passive electronically scanned array radar. The general designer of Type 7010 radar was Mr. Shen Zhongyi (申仲义, Mar 1922 - Apr 14, 1988), who was also the general designer of another radar used by the HQ-81 ABMS, Type 110. Mr. Shen Zhongyi was the head and the general designer of the 14th Research Institute at Nanjing, and the deputy director of the 10th Academy of the Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China (eventually promoted to the director). Under his leadership, all radar of the HQ-81 ABMS of Project 640 were developed at the 14th Institute.[7]

The Type 7010 passive phased array radar program began in May 1970, and installation work on the mountain 1,600 m (5,200 ft) above sea level began in 1972, on the northern slope of the Mongolian Gazelle Mountain in Zhuolu County. In 1974, the radar was rushed into operation even before its completion, which did not occur until 1976. It received state certification in the following year. The radar antenna array has a width of 40 m (130 ft) and a height of 20 m (66 ft), with a total of 8,976 transceivers. The peak power is 10 gigawatts (GW), with an average power of 200 kW, and a range in excess of 3,000 km (1,900 mi).[8]

Type 110 radar

Another long-range tracking radar of HQ-81 ABMS of Project 640 is the Type 110 monopulse radar for long range precision tracking. Work first began in 1959 for Project 110 simulation experimental radar after the order was given in 1958. From 1965 to 1970 more research was conducted, including the incorporation of Cassegrain antenna. When the Type 110 radar finally entered service in 1977, the system weighed more than 400 t (390 long tons; 440 short tons), with an antenna diameter in excess of 25 m (82 ft). The radome of the Type 110 was made of fiberglass. At the time of its completion, it was the largest structure of its kind in the world, with a height of over 36.5 m (120 ft) and a diameter of over 44 m (144 ft) at the base.[9] The range of the Type 110 radar is in excess of 2,000 km (1,200 mi). It is located in Yunnan. The Type 110 radar remains in operation today as a primary tool for space exploration.

FJ-1

The FJ-1 was the most important member of the FJ series ABM. The name FJ-1 was often used to replace HQ-81. The missile was 14 m (46 ft) long, weighed around 10 t (9.8 long tons; 11 short tons), and was launched at 50-degree angle. Originally adopting two-stage liquid rocket motors, it was later improved to have one solid rocket motor and one liquid motor. It takes about 20 minutes for the missile to be loaded on the launcher from the transportation truck. In February 1966, three rounds of a scaled-down version of FJ-1 for trials were completed. They were successfully tested between February 19 and February 29, 1966.

As with all Chinese projects at the time, FJ-1 was seriously delayed by the political turmoil of the Cultural Revolution. In April 1972, production batch 01 consisting of two FJ-1s was finally completed. However, on May 15, 1972, during tests in Kunming, both rounds exploded in the sky, resulting in the test failing. Although measures were taken, it was not until August and September 1978, when the next batch were successfully tested. In the trials the warheads of both the ballistic missile and the FJ-1 were replaced by dummy warheads filled with instrumentation.[10] Despite the successful trial, the political climate change in China spelled doom for the FJ-1, which was finally cancelled on March 9, 1980, marking the end of the entire Project 640.

FJ-2

The FJ-2, the second member of the FJ missile series used in the HQ-81 ABMS began in 1970. From October 1971 to April 1974, the scaled-down model test rounds (at 1:5 ratio) of the FJ-2 completed six tests. Five resulted in success, only one ended in failure.[11] Although begun after the FJ-1, the FJ-2 actually progressed faster. However, the some of the capability of the FJ-2 overlapped with that of the FJ-1, while the remaining overlapped that of HQ-3 and HQ-4 surface-to-air missiles. The decision was made in 1973 to cancel the FJ-2 for better efficiency and to concentrate on FJ-1 and HQ-3 and HQ-4.

FJ-3

The FJ-3, the last member of FJ series missile used in HQ-81 ABMS begun development in May 1974. It was a three-stage rocket motor powered ABM launched from a silo, but it was cancelled in 1977. However, subsystems of FJ-3 were developed and used on other Chinese missile programs, such as the S-7 vehicle mounted computer, which was later used on the DF-5 ballistic missile.[12]

References

1. "Project 640: China's National Missile Defence in the '70s". SinoDefence.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
2. Vanguard ABM super gun
3. "Project 640-1". Archived from the original on 2013-02-19. Retrieved 2013-01-14.
4. "ABMS Base". Archived from the original on 2014-10-19. Retrieved 2013-01-14.
5. "CK-1 ELINT satellite". Archived from the original on 2013-02-19. Retrieved 2013-01-14.
6. CK-1 satellite
7. Radar designer
8. Type 7010 radar
9. Type 110 radar
10. "FJ-1". Archived from the original on 2014-10-19. Retrieved 2013-01-14.
11. "FJ-2". Archived from the original on 2013-02-19. Retrieved 2013-01-14.
12. "FJ-3". Archived from the original on 2014-09-03. Retrieved 2013-01-14.