Chinese shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles appear in Russian service

Russian air defense troops appear to be using Chinese-designed shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, according to an analysis by Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi of footage aired on Russian state television.

The launchers were shown during an exercise by a mobile fire group of Russia’s 51st Air Defense Division in the Rostov region, in a segment broadcast by the state channel Rossiya 1 and shared on X by the account TheDeadDistrict. Mobile fire groups are small teams, often riding in pickup trucks, that Russia uses to hunt Ukrainian drones with machine guns and short-range missiles.

The soldiers in the report called the weapon “Iva.” But the launcher does not match any man-portable air defense system, or MANPADS, known to be in Russian service, Militarnyi reported Sept. 28. Russia’s own shoulder-fired missiles in current use include the Igla-S and the newer Verba.

Militarnyi said the launcher most closely resembles Iran’s Misagh-3 and China’s QW-18A and QW-19. Neither the launchers nor the missiles shown on camera carried any visible markings, which the outlet said could point to an effort to hide where they came from.

A closer look at the footage favors a Chinese origin, according to Militarnyi. The Russian launchers have an extra fitting on the front section that does not appear in available photos of the Iranian Misagh-3. The outlet did not rule out that it could be a newer Iranian version, but said no photos of Misagh launchers with that feature have been published. Militarnyi said it could not determine whether the system is a QW-18 or a QW-19. China’s state-owned CASIC showed the QW-19 at the DSA 2024 defense exhibition in Kuala Lumpur.

The weapons may have reached Russia through Iran, Militarnyi said. Tehran buys Chinese arms, including shoulder-fired missiles, and in July 2026 reports emerged that an Iranian deal with China covers up to 400 MANPADS, including the QW-12 and FN-16, at an estimated cost of $60 million to $70 million. Iran’s Misagh family is itself derived from China’s QW series, and Pakistan builds a similar missile under the name Anza-2.

Militarnyi said Russia’s use of foreign-made shoulder-fired missiles may indicate that its own industry cannot produce enough to meet the military’s needs. Mobile fire groups have become a main line of defense against the long-range drones Ukraine sends against Russian refineries, airfields and weapons plants, which increases demand for short-range missiles.

Ukraine has previously said it confirmed Chinese supplies of gunpowder and artillery systems to Russia, and Ukrainian intelligence services believe military cooperation between the two countries includes producing Chinese-designed weapons inside Russia. China has repeatedly said it does not supply lethal weapons to either side in the war.