Since the Iran War, a large number of Chinese-produced military analysis videos with Persian subtitles have been circulating on social media platforms. The purpose is to expose U.S. military information and provide ideas for Iran to attack the U.S. military.
On Thursday (April 2), the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post published an article titled “How to Shoot Down U.S. F-35 Fighter Jets Over Iran? Chinese Engineers’ Predictive Teaching Goes Viral Online.”
The report mentions that on March 14, a Chinese engineer using the online alias “Tiger Talks About the World” released a widely circulated instructional video (with Persian subtitles) detailing how Iran could use low-cost systems to shoot down the U.S. stealth fighter F-35. The video garnered tens of millions of views.
Five days later (March 19), Iran announced they had shot down a U.S. F-35 aircraft. Washington denied or did not confirm the claim. According to reports from Military Times and CNN on that day, a U.S. F-35 made an emergency landing due to suspected damage from Iranian firepower, though the incident is still under investigation and not officially confirmed as a “shoot-down.”
The individual who provided this Chinese video is a graduate of Northwestern Polytechnical University in China and works in the STEM field. According to the South China Morning Post, this person is one of several Chinese technical professionals sharing military expertise online to aid Iran in combat, without receiving any remuneration or official support.
The report states that these Chinese engineers with STEM backgrounds appear to be well-versed in military equipment, providing Iran with a wealth of military advice on the internet, including targeting tactics for F-35s, precise coordinates of U.S. military bases in the Middle East, missile strategies against U.S. aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf, and simulating defense operations against potential U.S. landings on Iran’s Hark Island.
“In this vast community, some individuals are applying their analytic skills to open-source military strategies,” the report says.
Northwestern Polytechnical University in China is a top defense research institution closely associated with the Chinese Communist Party and military. The school was placed on the U.S. watchlist as early as 2001 due to its relationship with the Chinese military in developing military drones.
Quoting an anonymous source, the report mentions, “Many of the classmates of the (video producer) work in (Chinese) military-industrial enterprises.”
Under the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda and indoctrination, many Chinese individuals are unaware of the brutal persecution by the Iranian regime against its people. Instead, some sympathize with the Iranian regime and even wish to assist Iran in resisting the U.S.
Currently, there is no direct evidence to show that these online analyses have had a direct impact on the war situation.
However, on Friday (April 3), multiple sources indicated that a U.S. F-15E fighter jet was shot down over Iran, prompting a rescue operation by the U.S. military. As of now, both crew members, including the pilot, have been rescued, but the search for the weapons systems officer is ongoing. Two Black Hawk helicopters involved in the rescue were attacked at low altitude by Iran, causing minor injuries to some military personnel, but everyone is safe. On the same day, an A-10 attack aircraft dispatched to support the rescue operation was also hit by Iranian fire, and the pilot ejected to safety, but the aircraft crashed.
Iran’s top joint military command announced on Saturday (April 4) that they had deployed a new air defense system on Friday and implied that all American aircraft were hit by the new system.
Iran also claims it aims to achieve full control over its airspace.
Former CIA China analyst Dennis Wilder posted on social media X to refute U.S. media reports alleging a U.S. plane was shot down, questioning how Iran suddenly acquired nationwide air defense capabilities.
He pointed out that since the beginning of the war, the U.S. has launched 12,000 airstrikes against Iran, with only one aircraft shot down so far, which is an unprecedented achievement in modern warfare.
The Washington Post also confirmed on Saturday that at the outbreak of the Iran war, a significant number of widely shared posts on social media platforms detailed U.S. military base equipment, movements of U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups, and detailed information on U.S. aircraft gathering for airstrikes against Iran.
The report highlights that this information comes from a rapidly growing emerging market: some Chinese companies linked to the Chinese military combine artificial intelligence (AI) with open-source data to sell information claiming to expose U.S. military movements.