Fujimi 722917 ML11 JGSDF Type 81 SAM

The Type 81 Surface-to-Air Missile, or Tan-SAM for short, is a modern Japanese air defense missile system. Work on this weapon began in the mid-1960s, and the system only entered the line in 1981 and remains in it today. The system uses missiles weighing around 100 kilograms, of which the warhead weighs around 9.2 kilograms. The range of the system varies from 0.5 to 14 kilometers.

The Tan-SAM air defense system was developed by Toshiba in cooperation with corporations such as Nissan and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The weapon was developed for the needs of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces as a replacement for the line-up of the 75 mm M51 Skysweeper and mobile AA systems. based on the chassis of the M3 and M5 half-tracked transporters. At the time of its introduction to the line, the Tan-SAM system was an intermediate link in the anti-aircraft defense of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces between the light, handheld FIM-92 Stinger launchers and the much heavier MIM-23 Hawk missiles. To ensure the mobility of the entire system, it is mounted on Isuzu 6x6 Type 73 trucks, with one car carrying system effectors, and one car carrying radar and targeting systems. Currently, the Type 81 anti-aircraft system is slowly being replaced by the Type 11 system.