Philippines is a Customer of the Chinese HN-5 / HQ-5C MANPADS?

HN-5 weapon photo courtesy of the WeaponSystems.net website

One of this page’s followers asked me about some reports of the Philippines being a customer of China’s HN-5 or HQ-5C Man Portable Air Defense System (MANPADS).

Well I found some sources saying so, one being the Global Security website which specifically mentions the Philippines as a customer of the HQ-5C version of the system.

Another is on page 145 of a book titled, “Bangladesh Army Weapon Systems Handbook Volume 1” which mentioned similar information, except it only says that the Philippines is a customer of the HN-5. The book was first published in 2011, so if the Philippine really bought the HN-5, it was probably on or before that date.

I couldn’t find any picture or video evidence of our Armed Forces owning these weapons though, nor could I find any official statement by the government to the public about acquiring them. Unless those become available then I think the above reports are unlikely.

Also the HN-5 is an old system, it is reportedly an unlicensed copy of the (then) Soviet SA-7 Strela system which in turn was “inspired” by the American Redeye system.

SOURCE: HY-5 on the Global Security Website

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