Missile TY-90 (CH-SA-13)

The TY-90 is a Chinese air-to-air missile developed in the late 1990s specifically for helicopter combat. Unlike converted man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), the TY-90 was designed from its inception as a dedicated helicopter-launched weapon.

The missile features all-aspect attack capability and utilizes a warhead designed to sever rotary wings. Guidance on the base model is infrared homing with a laser proximity and contact fuze. Subsequent air-to-air variants incorporate either dual-band (infrared and ultraviolet) guidance or imaging infrared guidance. Ground-launched and naval surface-to-air variants have also been developed. The ground-launched variant, designated DY-90, can incorporate an optional rocket booster. Multiple land-based air defense systems employ the missile. The Shengong-II is a towed, quadruple-launcher system. The Hunter (LS ADS) is a mobile system carrying eight missiles on a tactical vehicle chassis, equipped with electro-optical fire control. The Yi-Tian (YT ADS) integrates eight missiles, a heavy machine gun, and a passive phased array radar onto a WZ-551 wheeled armored personnel carrier; an export version of this system is designated Tianlong 6. The Yitian-L utilizes a tactical vehicle chassis with four missiles and a radar mast, while the SWS-2 combines four missiles with a revolver cannon on a wheeled armored chassis.

The TY-90 is operated by the armed forces of China, Laos, Mauritania, Pakistan, and Rwanda, as well as non-state actors including the United Wa State Army and the March 23 Movement (M23). In combat, the WZ-551-based Yitian system was deployed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the Rwandan Defence Force and M23 rebels. During the 2025 Goma offensive, these systems shot down government CH-4 and Bayraktar TB2 drones, resulting in a reduction of government air operations over North and South Kivu.