Chinese QW-2 MANPADS missile in service with Turkmenistan army.

According a news of January 12, 2018, published by the online military magazine Azeri Defence, Turkmenistan has purchased QW-2 (Syanvey-2) MANPADS Man Portable Air Defense Systems. It is a third generation man-portable shoulder-launched surface-to-air missile (SAM) developed in China by CASIC (China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation) for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and export customers.

A Chinese-made QW-2 MANPADS Man Portable Air Defense System operated by a Turkmen soldier (Picture source Azeri Defence)

The QW-2 MANPADS was presented during a visit of the Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov to the military border unit of Turkmenistan.

According to the SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) arms trade database, Turkmenistan has already purchase other air defense combat equipment from China including the FM-90 a mobile Short-range air defense missile system, HQ-9 SAM medium to long-range surface-to-air defense missile systems, and KS-1A medium-range mobile air defense missile systems.

A Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) is surface-to-air missile that can be fired by an individual or a small team of people against aircraft. These weapon systems often are described as shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles.

The QW-2 was first showcased to the public in 1998 at the Paris Air Show and entered service with the PLA by the end of the 1990s or early 2000s. According to military experts, the design of the QW-2 seems similar to Russian-made 9K310/SA-16 Gimlet MANPADS.

The QW-2 uses a fire and forget missile featuring a cooled two color infrared seeker and a single-stage solid rocket and can be operated by crew of two soldiers. The QW-2 missile can engage aerial targets at ranges from 500 meters to 6 kilometers flying at altitudes between 10 meters and 3,500 meters. The QW-2 can also be mounted on combat vehicle including a target acquisition radar and an electro-optical fire control system fitted on the carrier vehicle.

Chinese-made QW-2 MANPADS Man Portable Air Defense System at Air Show China in November 2012.