Introduction

The HN-5 is a Cold War era man portable SAM system of Chinese origin. It is a reverse engineered version of the Soviet Strela-2 (SA-7). Reportedly the name HN-5 is the export designation, with those in Chinese service called HY-5.

Design

The original HN-5 is a direct copy of the Soviet Strela-2 (SA-7A) and looks very similar. It has a common design with IR seeker in the nose and solid fuel rocket motor. Over time the missile was upgraded indigenously, but the upgrades were inspired by Soviet Strela-2M and Strela-3.

Firepower

The HN-5 is a supersonic missile with a maximum speed of 500 m/s. The maximum range is 4.4 km and the maximum altitude is 2.5 km. The seeker is rear aspect only and easily fooled by modern flares, although seeker quality was improved over time.

Mobility

The HN-5 is a very mobile system as the missile and its gripstock launcher are man portable, even over longer ranges. The system is operated by a single person.

Users

The HN-5 was adopted in quantity by Chinese forces and was exported to various nations. Early versions were used by North Vietnam against US fighter aircraft with limited success. Pakistan used it against Indian aircraft with 3 reported kills. Nowadays the HN-5 is considered outdated but it remains in use around the world. In Chinese service it has been supplemented with QW-1 and HQ-6 missiles.

The HN-5 is a direct copy of the Soviet Strela-2M. Subsequent improvements have been designed locally, although inspired on Soviet improvement efforts.