Jan.11 (China Military News reporting by Johnathan Weng) – Beijing local time PM 9:00 Januray 11 on 2010, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces that China has successfully finished a ground-Based midcourse missile interception test in the territory of China.

The ministry says that the test has reached the technological purpose and this behavior is purely defensive and not directed at any third country or bloc of countries.

According to some Chinese resources, the designation number of Chinese ground-based interception missile is HQ-19, which has been finished the trial test in 2003. Chinese Government has made the ballistic missile defense technology as the part of “863 National Advanced Defense Project”. The initiation of HQ-19 project is believed to start in 1995. HQ-19’s warhead is a 35-kg Kinetic Kill Vehicle (KKV). In 1999, HQ-19’s KKV successfully passed its first “hovering test” and it let China become the second country except U.S., which realizes the milestone in Kinetic killing vehicle development.

The HQ-19’s warhead is a light KKV with Three-axial Stabilization. The interceptor has 4 orbital maneuver propulsion thrusters and 6 attitude control thrusters, controlled by DACS (Digital Attitude Control System).

Besides, some Chinese people believe that the HQ-19 is a variant of KT series rocket.

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Chinese Missile Defense Test Witness:

Time: a few minutes to PM 8:00

Location: Jiuquan, Gansu Province (GPS Position: 39.646411,98.347893)

Witness Description: From the elevation of about 45 degrees in the north-west sky, I found a positive white circular Clumps about the size of dozens of moons. My first judge was the moon created a very personalized style halo. My colleagues and I immediately look for the moon, while preparing the camera and prepared to dial a news hotline.

But soon we discovered there is no moon on that position, while the white Clumps is rapidly expanding. In the tens of seconds of time, it quickly expanded to a half of the sky, and gradually fades. I suddenly think if it will be some nuclear explosions. Subsequently, the flashes appeared in the center of white Clumps. The flashes were not very strong, when it felt as if a mass of white fog.

My colleagues and I have guessed that it maybe a alien trip from another planet. But the flash and fog-like clumps have quickly dimmed. We do not have warned others, nor photograph the whole progress by the camera. We even didn’t have time to report to news media. This odd scene just lasted 2-3 minutes.

I analyzed that the whole process looks more like an explosion. But it is rather strange is that why there have no even the slightest sound before and after. Because here is a military zone, so I have heard the voices of a variety of artillery shells exploded. And it is is really puzzling that the strong shock wave in the sky did not bring any sounds. 

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One picture of this missile defense test, photoed by one Chinese people’s cellphone

Time: UTC+8 PM 7:45, Jan.11, 2010     Location: some place near the Urumqi City, the captial city of Xinjiang