QW missile

The QW-series (simplified Chinese: 前卫; traditional Chinese: 前衛; pinyin: Qian Wei)^[1] are man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) developed by the People's Republic of China.^[2]

Members of the Indonesian Quick Reaction Forces Command (Kopasgat) inspecting a QW-3 MANPADS launcher

QW-1

QW-1
Type	Man-portable air-defense system
Place of origin	China
Specifications
Mass	36 pounds (16 kg)[3]
Operational range	5 kilometres (3.1 mi) (maximum)[4]
Flight ceiling	2.5 miles (4.0 km)[3]
Guidance system	Infrared homing[4]
Launch platform	MANPADS

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.^[2]

The system was unveiled in 1994.^[6]

Variants

QW-1M

Modernized version. Also used by Kata'ib Hezbollah.^[7]

Anza-2

Version developed or produced in Pakistan.^[4]

Misagh-1

Version developed or produced in Iran.^[4] Also used by Iraqi insurgents^[6] and Kata'ib Hezbollah.^[7]

Misagh-2

Version developed or produced in Iran.^[4] According to some sources, the Misagh-2 may be a copy of the QW-1M.

QW-2

Main article: QW-2 MANPADS

QW-3

The QW-3 uses semi-active homing.^[8]

QW-18

QW-18A of the Bangladesh Army

The QW-18 is a new version of the MANPADS series. It is a 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

QW-19 is an upgrade of QW-19, 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.^[9]

See also

• 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)
• PZR Grom – (Poland)
• Mistral (missile) – (France)

References

1. 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.
2. Chinese Tactics (2021): page C-3
3. Whitmire, 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.
4. SIPRI Yearbook 2007: Armaments, Disarmament, and International Security. Oxford University Press. 2007. p. 684. ISBN 9780199230211.
5. The International Institute for Strategic Studies (15 February 2023). "6 Asia". The Military Balance 2023. London: Routledge.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. "China Defense Close-Up". Aviation Week. 1 December 2014.

Bibliography

• Chinese Tactics (PDF). Washington, D.C.: United States Department of the Army. 9 August 2021. ATP 7-100.3.