Tel Aviv: China and Russia are poised to resupply Iran with air defence systems to replace the ones destroyed by the US and Israel. This happens as reports point to a major failure of the Chinese HQ-9B air defence systems deployed in Iran.
According to reports, these systems failed to intercept US-Israeli airstrikes on February 28, 2026, allowing strikes on over 20 provinces, including Tehran and nuclear sites like Natanz and Fordow.
The HQ-9B were operated against stealth aircraft like F-35s, Tomahawk missiles, drones, and electronic warfare tactics that jammed radars and overwhelmed its engagement capacity. According to sources, this systems has not performed any intercept.
The Chinese-made system, according to the sources, failed in May 2025 when used by the Pakistani army to protect against the Indian Air Force attacks, that included Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) made Harop advanced loitering weapon systems.
The sources said that there are signs that the Chinese system is not capable of protecting from advanced threats involving stealth and EW support measures.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
