From Pakistan’s Flop To Iran’s Front Line: Why China’s HQ-9B Air Defense System Is Under Scrutiny? | World News
China reportedly transferred the HQ-9B air defense system to Iran. This movement attracted international interest, especially considering the problematic history of the system in Pakistan. The transfer, which is believed to be oil trade, comes because it aims to strengthen Iran’s air defenses against regional threats.
HQ-9B is a long-range air defense system designed in China. It is inspired by Russia’s S-300 and includes some American and Israeli technologies. The system has been built to prevent air threats, including enemy planes, drones, cruising missiles and some ballistic missiles. It uses radar to find targets and then starts its own missiles to destroy them in the air. HQ-9B may face 8 to 10 targets at a time range of 250 to 300 km.
Pakistan’s problematic experience with HQ-9B
Pakistan integrated HQ-9B into its army in 2021 and encouraged India as a powerful tool against the increasing air force, including Rafale Jets and Brahmos missiles. However, the system performed several times during the “Sindoor Operation” of India, especially in India’s May 2025.
During the “Sindoor Operation”, India, Pakistan and Pakistan, the occupied Kashmir (POK), made sensitive strikes to terrorist targets. These strikes contained advanced weapons, including Brahmos missiles, French scalp watching missiles and Israeli Harop drones. Despite the presence of HQ-9B, it was reported that he could not cut any of these threats. The reports showed that Indian attacks were so sensitive that the HQ-9B battery near the Sarcophagus destroyed the battery.
The failures of the system went beyond the “Sindoor Operation”. In 2024, when Iran targeted Pakistan’s Balochistan with missiles and drone strikes, HQ-9B did not show any response again.
Various reasons emerge for HQ-9B’s failures in Pakistan:
Lack of education: Pakistani military personnel may not have received enough training to operate the complex system.
Jam and hidden technology: India’s use of electronic war and hidden missiles may have escaped or mixed from the radar of HQ-9B.
Technical limitations: Some experts believed that HQ-9B could not fully address high-speed missiles like Brahmos.
Maintenance Problems: High maintenance costs of the system and possible shortage of spare parts in Pakistan may damage operational preparation.
These repeated failures led to significant criticisms in Pakistan and even in Chinese social media, where the Pakistan army was defined as “silent audience”, and the reliability of the headquarters was questioned.
China’s strategic transfer to Iran
The news of transferring the China HQ-9B system to Iran appeared in July 2025. This agreement seems like an oil exchange because US sanctions prevent Iran from paying cash.
Why does Iran need air defense: serious geopolitical challenges and threats from strong enemies such as Iran, Israel and the United States. The latest Israeli air strikes in Iranian fields stressed Iran’s need to improve air defense systems. HQ-9B can offer vital long-range air defense.
Benefits for China:
Safe oil supply: The agreement gives China a stable and potentially discounted oil supply for its economy.
Expanding arms market: China aims to increase the existence of the market in arms trade. Providing HQ-9B to Iran helps to create a basis in the undecided Middle East.
Reputation management: HQ-9B’s bad performance in Pakistan damaged China’s reliability in defense technology. In Iran, distributing in Iran allows Beijing to exhibit the effectiveness of the system against sophisticated Western military technology.
Israel concerns: HQ-9B may significantly increase Iran’s ability to resist air threats, and Israel expressed concerns about this agreement.
HQ-9B expectations in the position of Iran and India
It remains unclear if HQ-9B will perform better in Iran. Past failures in Pakistan do not show that it is generally ineffective. His success in Iran will depend on various factors:
Training and Maintenance: Iran will have a comprehensive training for its staff and can rely on China for maintenance and spare parts.
Enemy technology: Both Israel and the United States have secret aircraft and advanced missiles that can escape from the radar systems of HQ-9B.
Operational integration: Iran’s ability to effectively integrate and use within the current defense framework will be required.
For India, this development can increase concerns, especially considering the complex nature of India-Iran relations. If Iran successfully deployed HQ-9B, it can change the balance of power in the Middle East. However, its powerful air defense systems, including India’s S-400 and Akash missile systems, are designed to resist a wide range of air threats, which positions in a way to deal with possible results.
