Weapon tag archive

Short-Range Air Defense Weapons and Military Equipment

Browse 8 weapon systems and military equipment entries tagged Short-Range Air Defense, grouped by category with images, specifications, conflict context, and sources.

8 weapon systems

AN/TWQ-1 Avenger, Self-propelled short-range air defense system, Air Defense

Air DefenseAN/TWQ-1 AvengerSelf-propelled short-range air defense systemSide: UkraineCoalition forcesUnited States and coalition forcesBuilt: Boeing / United StatesThe AN/TWQ-1 Avenger is a Boeing-developed short-range air-defense system built around a HMMWV-mounted turret with two Stinger missile pods and an M3P .50-caliber machine gun. Boeing records first firing in April 1984 and first delivery on 1988-11-01, with more than 1,100 systems delivered by 2002. The system appears in the catalog through Gulf War service, Iraq War up-gun conversions, and Ukrainian mobile air-defense use against Shahed drones and other low-altitude threats in the Russia-Ukraine War 2014-present.

Fliegerfaust 2 launcher, Short-range air-defense launcher, Air Defense

Air DefenseFliegerfaust 2 launcherShort-range air-defense launcherSide: UnknownBuilt: Raytheon / United StatesFliegerfaust 2 is the Bundeswehr designation for the U.S.-made FIM-92 Stinger short-range air-defense launcher. Bundeswehr materials describe it as a one-person, shoulder-fired MANPADS with passive infrared guidance, roughly 1.5 m length, 15.8 kg weight, and a 6 km reach.

Mistral air-to-air missile, Short-range air-to-air missile, Air Defense

Air DefenseMistral air-to-air missileShort-range air-to-air missileSide: UnknownBuilt: MBDA France / FranceMistral is a French short-range infrared-homing missile family built by MBDA France. Its ATAM helicopter fit mounts four ready-to-fire missiles on twin launchers, while Mistral 3 adds a matrix-imager seeker and 8 km range.

IRIS-T SLS, Short-range surface-to-air missile system, Air Defense

Air DefenseIRIS-T SLSShort-range surface-to-air missile systemSide: UkraineBuilt: Diehl Defence / GermanyIRIS-T SLS is Diehl Defence's short-range ground-based member of the IRIS-T air-defense family, using the standard IRIS-T missile as a surface-to-air effector for a 12 km engagement layer. Diehl describes SLS as a mobile SHORAD system with launcher, sensor suite, and networked C2 that can operate alone or complement IRIS-T SLM; Germany has supplied SLS-related air-defense systems and missiles to Ukraine during the Russia-Ukraine War 2014-present.

Tor-M2, Short-range surface-to-air missile system, Air Defense

Air DefenseTor-M2Short-range surface-to-air missile systemSide: RussiaArmeniaArtsakhBuilt: Almaz-Antey / RussiaThe Tor-M2 is a Russian short-range, self-propelled surface-to-air missile system built to protect maneuver forces and fixed sites from aircraft, helicopters, drones, guided missiles, and other precision weapons. Its family includes tracked, wheeled, modular, Arctic, and export configurations, with later missile loads increasing ready-to-fire rounds from eight to as many as sixteen. In recent conflict records it appears as Russian mobile front-line air defense in Ukraine and as Armenian Tor-M2KM coverage during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.

ZU-23-2, Towed twin 23 mm anti-aircraft autocannon, Air Defense

Air DefenseZU-23-2Towed twin 23 mm anti-aircraft autocannonSide: UkraineArmeniaArtsakhTigray forcesHouthi-aligned forcesRebel and jihadist armed groupsBuilt: KBP Instrument Design Bureau / Various manufacturers / Soviet Union / Russia / Bulgaria / Poland / Egypt / ChinaThe ZU-23-2 is a Soviet twin 23 mm towed anti-aircraft autocannon built around two 2A14 guns on a light carriage. Its manual sighting, rapid emplacement, and high volume of fire make it a close-range air-defense weapon against low-flying aircraft, helicopters, and drones, while many operators also use it for direct fire against light vehicles and infantry positions. Ukrainian forces have used ZU-23-2 guns in mobile and positional air-defense teams during the Russia-Ukraine War 2014-present, Armenian-side losses in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh fighting included towed and vehicle-mounted ZU-23 guns, and conflict monitors documented ZU-23 or ZU-23-2-pattern use in Yemen, Tigray, and northern Mali.

9K35 Strela-10, Tracked short-range surface-to-air missile system, Air Defense

Air Defense9K35 Strela-10Tracked short-range surface-to-air missile systemSide: Syrian governmentOpposition and anti-government forcesArmeniaArtsakhUkraineRussiaBuilt: Saratov Aggregate Plant / Kovrov Mechanical Plant / Soviet Union / RussiaThe 9K35 Strela-10, NATO reporting name SA-13 Gopher, is a Soviet tracked short-range air defense system mounted on an MT-LB chassis. Built to protect maneuver forces from low-flying aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and UAVs, it remains visible in modern conflicts through Syrian battlefield captures, 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh losses, and Russian and Ukrainian counter-UAV use.

HQ-61B, Short-range ship-launched surface-to-air missile, Munitions

MunitionsHQ-61BShort-range ship-launched surface-to-air missileSide: UnknownBuilt: Shanghai No.2 Bureau of Machinery and Electronics / ChinaHQ-61B is the naval short-range surface-to-air missile variant of China's HQ-61 family. Open references describe it as a 1x6 launcher fit on Type 053H2G / Jiangwei I-class frigates, with the missile's development led by Shanghai No.2 Bureau of Machinery and Electronics and later Chinese naval service on four frigates.