The Type 81 Tan-SAM is a surface to air missile of Japanese origin. It was developed for the Japanese armed forced to fill the gap between the man-portable Stinger and fixed position Hawk missiles. The name Tan-SAM stands for short-range surface to air missile.

The Tan-SAM system consists of a fire control vehicle equipped with radar and two launch vehicles. The total crew of a Tan-SAM system totals 15. All vehicles are based on the Type 73 6x6 truck and are unarmored.

The radar is used to detect the targets and to provide data for the missiles. Upon launch the missiles are fired in the direction of the target and after an inertial flight pattern the missile acquires the target and intercepts it. The original Tan-SAM missile has an infrared seeker and the newest model uses an active radar seeker. Each launcher has an optical director that allows the missiles to be fired without fire control information.

The Tan-SAM has a maximum range of 10 km and maximum altitude of 3 km. The original missiles feature a high quality infrared seeker with limited protection against decoys. The latest missiles feature an active radar seeker which is less prone to jamming and extends the maximum range to 14 km.

The Type 81 Tan-SAM missile system is based on Type 73 6x6 trucks. This makes the system very mobile on roads, with the mobility in the field being limited. The system is not able to fire on the move and takes about 30 minutes to set up.

The sole operator of the Type 81 is Japan. It was adopted by all three branches of the military. Over recent years several improvement programs have been carried out, resulting in the improved Tan-SAM kai. The Tan-SAM is not offered for export.