QW-18 / QW-18A
Chinese man-portable air defence missile (MANPADS), export product
Chinese MANPADS from CASIC, introduced around 2006 as the successor to the QW-11 and built mainly for export; in class comparable to Russia's Igla (SA-18). The dual-band infrared seeker looks at both the exhaust plume and the heated airframe, which makes the missile more resistant to flares. The QW-18A is an improved version with electric control servos for better performance against cruise missiles; the QW-19 (≈ 2014) is the successor with a digital seeker and fire-before-lock. Iran builds a derivative as the Misagh-3. Relevant because the unidentified MANPADS "Iva" in Russian service (see that card) may be a QW-18A or QW-19.
Learn more in the AirDefense Academy →Dimensionsfor imagery analysis
- Missile (L × Ø, span)
- ≈ 1.53 m × Ø 72 mm (Wikipedia) — the WEG gives 2.10 m, probably including tube/grip
- System
- 18 kg (tube 4 kg, firing unit 1.7 kg)
- Dimension source
- Wikipedia; WEG (ODIN)
General
- Role
- Last layer, man-portable — against helicopters, low flyers, cruise missiles and drones
- Manufacturer
- CASIC (China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation)
- Users
- Incl. Bangladesh (QW-18A), Thai Marines, Uzbekistan; also seen in Libya. Russian use not confirmed (see "Iva")
- Derivatives
- QW-18A (improved servos), QW-19 (successor), Misagh-3 (Iran)
Weapon
- Guidance
- Infrared, dual-band (3–5 and 8–12 µm), passive — plume and airframe
- Range
- ≈ 2.7 NM (5 km); some sources give up to ≈ 4.3 NM (8 km)
- Altitude
- ≈ 33 ft – ≈ 13,100 ft (10–4,000 m); some sources up to ≈ 14,760 ft
- Speed / weight
- ≈ 600 m/s; system ≈ 18 kg, missile ≈ 1.53 m
Threat
- Countermeasure
- Altitude above the ceiling, DIRCM, flares (less effective against the dual-band seeker), IR discipline
- Threat level
- Medium-high — comparable to Igla, but not to Verba
- Source
- Open-source specifications (GlobalSecurity, Wikipedia) — figures differ between sources; RU Mil Tracker e-20260929-05 for the possible link to Russia
News archive 2
Analysed reports from the RU Mil Tracker about this system, newest first. Archive since 2026-07-17.
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ПЗРК «Ива». Новый комплекс российской ПВО и иностранный след
Topwar author Kirill Ryabov analyses the 'Iva' man-portable air defence system (MANPADS) that appeared in a 27 September report by Rossiya 1's 'Vesti Nedeli' on Rostov Oblast. Soldiers of a mobile fire group (MOG) tasked with regional air defence, call signs 'Leshiy' and 'Modny', showed machine-gun mounts and a new MANPADS: a transport case holding two miss…
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Unmarked shoulder-fired SAM, possibly Chinese QW-18A/QW-19, seen in Russian air defense service
Russian state TV (Rossiya 1) aired footage of a mobile fire group of the 51st Air Defense Division during an exercise in Rostov region, showing a shoulder-fired missile launcher that matches no MANPADS known in Russian service (such as Igla-S or Verba). The soldiers called the weapon "Iva". The footage was shared on X by @TheDeadDistrict, and the Ukrainian…