Are Russian ‘Iva’ MANPADS Chinese Knock-Offs?
Milbloggers and military issues sites have become excited by images during a Rossiya 1 report of an MANPADS weapon used by a Russian mobile fire group in the Rostov region. Despite the soldier calling it the “Iva,” online experts think it resembles Chinese or Iranian models.
A Russian television report on September 28 allegedly demonstrated a MANPADS weapon to soldiers from a mobile fire group of the 51st Air Defense Division in Rostov, referring to it as "Iva." Analysts questioned its origin, arguing it did not match other Russian systems like the Igla or Verba. The US military site The War Zone and Ukraine’s Militarnyi compared the launcher to Chinese or Iranian designs, concluding it resembled the Chinese QW-18/QW-18A or QW-19 series.
Swiss site MiGFlug suggested it could be a Chinese purchase, an Iranian-built derivative, a Russian copy, or an unlikely North Korean weapon. The Defence Blog proposed Pakistan’s Anza-2, which is also based on a Chinese design. Despite Russia's ability to build and export MANPADS, the presence of the "Iva" system in Rostov raises questions about its source – whether it's a publicity stunt, evaluation tool, or evidence of depleted stocks due to the war in Ukraine.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
