A portable QW-12 was tested against a target aircraft simulating an attack helicopter dropping eight flares at a target range in North China in early 2022. Photo: Screenshot from China Central Television

 
The QW-12, an advanced portable air defense missile developed by China, recently demonstrated its outstanding performance in intercepting helicopters, jets and cruise missiles in a live-fire test, with experts saying on Monday that the weapon is world class, as it displayed an anti-decoy capability no foreign counterpart has ever shown.
 
Held at a target range in North China recently, the test saw the QW-12 missile successfully shoot down a specially designed target aircraft built to simulate an attack helicopter by mimicking its infrared signal, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Saturday.
 
As the QW-12 missile was approaching, the aircraft released eight decoy flares that resemble the infrared signal of the target aircraft in an attempt to disorient the missile. However, the missile ignored the flares and hit the aircraft, the CCTV footage shows. The process took only a few seconds.

No other similar missile in the world has publicly demonstrated this capability, CCTV reported.

After examining the QW-12's capability to hit a slow target like a helicopter, the test challenged the missile to intercept a faster target, which is a 122-millimeter-caliber rocket simulating a jet or a cruise missile that flies at 360 meters a second, CCTV reported.

In the second test, the QW-12 again successfully intercepted its target by meeting it head-on, the report said, noting that because of its speed, a direct impact was difficult, so the missile used its laser proximity detonator to detonate itself near the target, bringing the target down with shockwaves and fragments.

The test showed the QW-12's abilities under a complex battlefield environment, as the missile is world class, Shi Hong, executive chief editor of the Chinese magazine Shipborne Weapons, told the Global Times on Monday.

China exhibited QW series missiles at defense expos, and they will offer many choices to the international arms market, Shi said.

The QW-2, a predecessor of the QW-12, was used by all participants in the air defense competition of the International Army Games.

China is one of only a few countries in the world to independently develop portable air defense missiles, and the QW-12 was designed with the most advanced technologies, giving it a small size, light weight and high firepower, CCTV said.

While the QW-12 is a portable weapon, it can also be mounted on vehicles, which will give the missile very high mobility, Shi said, noting that each vehicle can carry several missiles, providing even more firepower.