The Type 81 (C) is an upgraded version of the Type 81 Surface-to-Air Missile (81式短距離地対空誘導弾) or Tan-SAM (短SAM, lit. short range SAM), a Japanese developed surface-to-air missile currently in service with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. The development of the Tan-SAM Kai started in 1989 as a intermediate SAM missile was needed between the short-range FIM-92 Stinger & the MIM-23 Hawk missile system, and the upgraded system was designated as SAM-1C (shorten as Tan-SAM Kai 短SAM改; lit. modified short-range SAM) in 1995. The Tan-SAM missile has a new phased array active radar seeker that can receive mid-course guidance updates from the Fire Control Systems vehicle. This enhances the missile's range to 14 kilometres, but also increases its weight to 105 kilograms. The missile also has a new smokeless motor with better thrust, replacing the old one. The Fire Control Systems vehicle has a thermal imager to operate better in an ECM-heavy environment.

It was introduced in Update "Kings of Battle". The Type 81C can be considered the bigger brother of the Type 93, offering bigger, meaner, and larger both vehicle and missiles. While it's larger, the missile itself still offers great missile guidance with a maximum overload of 35 G, 955 m/s on top of a visual guidance mode which will further increase its hit probability against IRCM/ECM jammers present on high-end helicopters. One problem the Type 81 retains from the Type 93 is the lack of radar, while it offers a thermal camera making the visual spotting of aircraft easier, it still requires situational awareness to find to targets.