China is not at war, but its military hardware is being put through a trial by fire. One of the most advertised military exports of Beijing is now under the scanner after its failure in two back-to-back conflicts within a year. The HQ-9B air defence system has reportedly failed again, this time in Iran, amid US-Israel airstrikes. The HQ-9B system was deployed in Pakistan but failed against Indian fire in May 2025.
Iran acquired the HQ-9B in July 2025 through an oil-for-weapons deal with China, to strengthen its skies after a ceasefire with Israel in June last year. Israel, in Operation Rising Lion in June, had struck deep into Iranian territory to deter its nuclear programme, and towards the end of the Israeli operations, even the US bombed its nuclear sites.
Procured and installed after the July 2025 assault, the HQ-9B air defence system proved to be a dud against the US-Israeli joint strikes on February 28, 2026.
Deployed around key sites in Tehran, and vital nuclear infrastructure in Natanz and Fordow, the China-made HQ-9B could not stop incoming missiles, raising doubts about its real-world performance. The IAEA has said that there are no signs that Iran’s nuclear sites were hit, but Iran disagrees.
The latest strikes, which hit over 20 of Iran’s 31 provinces including Tehran, caused massive damage. Infrastructure was destroyed, over 550 civilians have died.
HOW CHINA-MADE HQ-9B FAILED AGAINST INDIAN STRIKES
This is the second failure for the China-made HQ-9B within a year.
In May 2025, during India’s Operation Sindoor, a four-day mini-war with Pakistan triggered by the Pahalgam terror attack in Kashmir, the Chinese air defence system failed to protect Pakistani installations.
Pakistan had deployed the HQ-9Bs to guard airbases and cities, but Indian strikes, including the Israeli Harop drones, hit HQ-9B units hard.
Back in May 2025, defence analyst Tom Cooper noted on X that “Pakistan’s air defence system in Karachi was disabled… Piece by piece, Pak defence system collapsed.”
WHAT IS CHINA’S HQ-9B AIR DEFENCE SYSTEM?
Developed by China’s Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, the HQ-9B is inspired by Russia’s S-300PMU and America’s Patriot PAC-2.
It boasts a 260-km range and can hit targets up to 50-km high. With active radar homing and infrared seekers, it tracks up to 100 threats at once and engages six to eight simultaneously.
China uses it to protect Beijing, Tibet, and the South China Sea.
Iran hoped it would fix gaps left by its Russian S-300PMU2, which underperformed earlier. Tehran layered it with local systems like Bavar-373, Khordad-15, and Pantsir-S1, but the mix failed against advanced US and Israeli jets.
After the latest reported failure, there have been reactions by defence analysts on X.
Russian commentator Victor Kvert said, “Three HQ-9B air defence systems supplied by China to Iran were destroyed by the US in Iran during the initial hours of the strikes. After Pakistan and Venezuela, Chinese war equipment is now failing in Iran as well.”
Experts are now questioning if the HQ-9B is flawed or just outmatched by superior tech. Many even said that had the Chinese air defence system not failed, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be alive today.
Though Chengdu tried to market itself with false claims after the May 2025 mini-war, its false claims were soon busted. The HQ-9B’s back-to-back flops could hurt China’s arms sales.
