QW-2 / QW-12
Chinese man-portable air-defence missile, third generation
MANPADS unveiled at Zhuhai in 1998 with an all-aspect dual-band infrared seeker; CASIC claims performance equal to or better than Stinger and Mistral. The QW-12 (2014) is the successor with a laser proximity fuze and a mid-IR seeker with dual-band filtering. Pakistan builds it as the Anza Mk-III. According to July 2026 reports, the QW-12 is part of a Chinese delivery of 300–400 MANPADS to Iran — a possible route to Russia.
Learn more in the AirDefense Academy →Dimensionsfor imagery analysis
- Missile (L × Ø, span)
- 1.59 m × Ø 72 mm; 11.3 kg
- System
- 18 kg ready to fire
- Dimension source
- Wikipedia; WEG (ODIN)
General
- Role
- Last layer, man-portable
- Manufacturer
- CASIC
- In service
- QW-2: after 1998; QW-12: 2014
- Derivatives
- QW-12 (laser proximity fuze), Anza Mk-III (PK)
- Users
- incl. China, Bangladesh, Turkmenistan; Iran (QW-12, reported July 2026)
Weapon (QW-2)
- Guidance
- Infrared, all-aspect, dual-band, passive
- Range
- ≈ 0.3 – 3.2 NM (0.5–6 km)
- Altitude
- ≈ 33 – 12,500 ft (10–3,800 m; infobox up to 4,000 m)
- Speed
- ≈ 600 m/s
- Weight
- System 18 kg; missile 11.32 kg
- Fuzing
- Impact and laser proximity
Warning & threat
- RWR
- No — passive; only a MAWS sees the launch
- Countermeasure
- Altitude, DIRCM; flares of limited effect
- Threat level
- Medium-high — Igla class, with proliferation risk via Iran
News archive 1
Analysed reports from the RU Mil Tracker about this system, newest first. Archive since 2026-07-17.
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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…