Members of the Indonesian Quick Reaction Forces Command (Kopasgat) inspecting a QW series MANPADS launcher
Type
Man-portable air-defense system
Place of origin
China
Specifications
Mass
36 pounds (16 kg)[1]
Operationalrange
5 kilometres (3.1 mi) (maximum)[2]
Flight ceiling
2.5 miles (4.0 km)[1]
Guidancesystem
Infrared homing[2]
Launchplatform
MANPADS
The QW-series (simplified Chinese: 前卫; traditional Chinese: 前衛; pinyin: Qian Wei)[3] are man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) developed by the People's Republic of China.[4]
QW-1
[edit]
The QW-1 (NATO reporting name: CH-SA-7)[5] is the initial version. It is likely a copy or derivative of the Soviet 9K38 Igla-1 MANPAD.[4]
The system was unveiled in 1994.[6]
Variants
[edit] QW-1M Modernized version. Also used by Kata'ib Hezbollah.[7] Anza-2 Version developed or produced in Pakistan.[2] Misagh-1 Version developed or produced in Iran.[2] Misagh-2 Version developed or produced in Iran.[2] According to some sources, the Misagh-2 may be a copy of the QW-1M.
QW-2
[edit] Main article: QW-2 MANPADS
QW-3
[edit]Vehicle mounted QW-3
The QW-3 uses semi-active homing.[8]
QW-18
[edit]QW-18A of the Bangladesh Army
The QW-18 (NATO reporting name: CH-SA-11[9]) is a new version of the Qianwei series. It is an all-weather MANPADS system. It uses a dual-band passive infrared seeker, the target plume and skinning two heat detection. The QW-18A features electric-servo control actuators to increase guidance and flight characteristics.
Range: 500 to 5,000 m
Altitude: 10 to 4,000 m.
QW-19
[edit]
QW-19 is an upgrade of QW-18, featuring a new digital seeker and a contact-proximity fuse with four control fins (instead of two on QW-18). It supports initial guidance mode, and the shooter can engage the targets by directly aiming.[10]
See also
[edit]
Anza (missile) – (Pakistan)
The FN-6 and HN-5 are other Chinese man-portable surface-to-air missiles.
FIM-92 Stinger – (United States)
Qaem – (Iran)
Misagh-2 – (Iran)
Sungur – (Turkey)
PZR Grom – (Poland)
Mistral (missile) – (France)
References
[edit]
^ abWhitmire, James C. (December 2006). Shoulder Launched Missiles (a.k.a. MANPADS): The Ominous Threat to Commercial Aviation (PDF) (Report). The Counterproliferation Papers. Vol. 37. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: United States Air Force Air University. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
^ abcdeSIPRI Yearbook 2007: Armaments, Disarmament, and International Security. Oxford University Press. 2007. p. 684. ISBN 9780199230211.
^Dominguez, Gabriel (15 January 2018). "Footage suggests QW-2 MANPADS has entered service with Turkmenistan Army". Janes. Archived from the original on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
^ abChinese Tactics (2021): page C-3
^The International Institute for Strategic Studies (15 February 2023). "6 Asia". The Military Balance 2023. London: Routledge.
^Small Arms Survey (2012). "Surveying the Battlefield: Illicit Arms In Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia". Small Arms Survey 2012: Moving Targets. Cambridge University Press. p. 327. ISBN 978-0-521-19714-4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-08-31. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
^Iraq: Turning a blind eye: The arming of the Popular Mobilization Units (PDF) (Report). Amnesty International. 5 January 2017. p. 26. MDE 14/5386/2017.
^Zeigler, Sean M.; Hou, Alexander C.; Martini, Jeffrey; Norton, Daniel M.; Phillips, Brian; Schwille, Michael; Strong, Aaron; Vest, Nathan (2019). Acquisition and Use of MANPADS Against Commercial Aviation: Risks, Proliferation, Mitigation, and Cost of an Attack(PDF). Santa Monica, California: RAND Corporation. p. 3. ISBN 978-1-9774-0418-3. RR-4304-DOS.
^"Chapter Five: Asia: Regional trends in 2024". The Military Balance 2025. 125 (1): 206–311. 2025. doi:10.1080/04597222.2025.2445477.
^"China Defense Close-Up". Aviation Week. 1 December 2014.
Bibliography
[edit]
Chinese Tactics(PDF). Washington, D.C.: United States Department of the Army. 9 August 2021. ATP 7-100.3.
Members of the Indonesian Quick Reaction Forces Command (Kopasgat) inspecting a QW series MANPADS launcher
China
