Iran War and Venezuela Raid Put Chinese Air Defenses to a Real-World Test

The results are raising questions about Beijing’s military technology and global arms exports.

Published: 3/14/2026, 6:40:58 PM EDT

Iran War and Venezuela Raid Put Chinese Air Defenses to a Real-World Test — The U.S. military strikes Iranian vessels and minelayers near the Strait of Hormuz on March 10, 2026. (U.S. Central Command/Screenshot via NTD)

News Analysis

Recent U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, along with a U.S. raid that captured Venezuela’s leader, have put Chinese-made air-defense systems to a real-world test.

Both operations saw China’s partners deploy radar and missile systems allegedly supplied by Beijing in high-intensity combat with U.S. stealth aircraft and electronic warfare.

Such encounters are rare. Chinese systems such as the HQ-9B long-range surface-to-air missile are reportedly widely exported, but until recently, had seen limited direct combat against advanced Western airpower.

The outcomes could shape perceptions of China’s weapons exports and influence how U.S. military planners assess Chinese air-defense capabilities in any future conflicts.

What Happened in Iran

In Iran, U.S. and Israeli forces quickly established air superiority, allowing their aircraft to safely enter enemy airspace and strike targets deeper inside the country.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) listed B-2, F-22, and F-35 stealth aircraft, electronic-warfare planes, and drones among the weapons used in the strikes.

Coalition forces had “relentlessly destroyed Iran’s air defenses,” Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said, adding the campaign targeted Iran’s ballistic-missile infrastructure and other military sites.

Satellite imagery showed heavy damage at Iranian missile bases, including destroyed structures near tunnel entrances to underground launch facilities in Khorramabad. U.S. officials said the strikes aimed to degrade Iran’s ability to launch missiles and drones.

No U.S. or Israeli fighter jets were confirmed shot down by Iranian air defenses during the operation.

Israeli media reported that Iran acquired Chinese HQ-9B surface-to-air missile systems after the June 2025 ceasefire with Israel, though Beijing denied supplying them. The defense news site Army Recognition says the system is promoted to counter high-altitude aircraft and cruise missiles, with radars designed to track multiple targets and detect stealth aircraft.

But experts cited by The Epoch Times said the alleged Chinese transfer offered little protection against the combined U.S.-Israeli offensive, with several HQ-9B batteries reportedly neutralized within the first hour of the operation, according to Avellon Intelligence co-founder Srinivaasan Balakrishnan.

“Whether Chinese weapons can even detect U.S. stealth fighters and bombers, including the F-35, F-22, and B-2, remains a very open question,” said Hsiao-huang Shu, a research fellow at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research.

What Happened in Venezuela

A U.S. military operation earlier this year captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro during a coordinated air and special-operations raid involving more than 150 U.S. aircraft, including F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said during a Jan. 3 press briefing.

The F-22 and F-35 are among the U.S. military’s most advanced fifth-generation stealth fighters, according to U.S. Air Force descriptions. They were used to establish air superiority and conduct precision strikes in Venezuela, Caine said.

No American aircraft were lost during the mission, he added.

Chinese “anti-stealth” radar systems, such as the JY-27A, were reportedly part of Venezuela’s air-defense architecture and were marketed as capable of detecting advanced aircraft like the F-22 and F-35.

But an Epoch Times analysis said those Chinese-made radars appeared ineffective after Venezuelan air defenses failed to detect or shoot down any U.S. planes during the raid. The report noted the systems may have been degraded by maintenance problems and U.S. electronic warfare.

The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. electronic-warfare aircraft, including EA-18G Growlers, jammed Venezuelan radar and communications during the operation.

Public information about the raid remains limited, and it is unclear how many of Venezuela’s Chinese-made radar systems were fully operational at the time.

Stakes for China’s Arms Industry

The outcomes in Iran and Venezuela are fueling debate about how Chinese military equipment performs in real combat—a critical factor for countries weighing major arms purchases from Beijing.

U.S. military research shows China has expanded its arms exports over the past two decades, supplying radar systems, missiles, and aircraft across the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Yet arms revenues at major Chinese defense firms fell about 10 percent in 2024 even as global arms sales hit a record high, according to the latest data from SIPRI.

“If weapons advertised as advanced perform poorly in real combat, it can directly affect future export sales,” defense researcher Ming-Shih Shen from Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) told The Epoch Times’ Chinese-language edition.

Russian weapons faced similar scrutiny during the war in Ukraine, where their battlefield performance reshaped global perceptions of Moscow’s defense industry. The Iran conflict could become a comparable moment for Chinese military technology.

The scrutiny comes as China’s military and defense sector undergoes a sweeping anti-corruption campaign. Since 2023, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has removed numerous senior executives and officials linked to major state-owned defense contractors.

However, Pei-hsueh Hsieh, another researcher at the INDSR, said the purge has not addressed the root problem because corruption in China’s military-industrial system is systemic.

“State-owned companies dominate military contracts in a closed system with little competition or independent oversight,” Hsieh said. “Replacing individual executives doesn’t fix the problem. China’s defense industry is caught in a vicious cycle.”

Hsieh added that the dominance of large state-owned enterprises in China’s military technology sector has also weakened incentives for innovation.

Implications for US Military Planning

For Washington, the debate carries implications beyond China’s global arms exports. The air-defense systems China sells abroad are similar to those deployed across its own military network.

If their systems struggled against stealth aircraft and electronic warfare in the recent combats, this will likely shape how U.S. defense planners evaluate China’s air-defense capabilities in any future Indo-Pacific conflict.

U.S. analysts already study China’s integrated air-defense systems, according to Pentagon reports and think-tank research assessments of potential conflict scenarios.

Now, the conflicts in Iran and Venezuela offer some real-world data on Chinese air-defense technology against top-tier Western airpower—results that both potential arms buyers and military planners will be studying closely.