After the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East, the Chinese military has started to pay attention to the performance of American and Israeli weapons in actual combat, and has been attempting to acquire relevant military and technological information. According to multiple sources who spoke to reporters, within the Chinese military, data on American-made missile flight, strike accuracy, and unexploded ordnance structures have been identified as key areas for analysis.
Tang Jianying (pseudonym), a source close to the Chinese military, told reporters that following the US-Israeli coalition airstrikes on Iran, there has been a clear interest within the Chinese military in American-made weapons, with attempts being made to obtain relevant technological information from the Middle East battlefield. He stated, “The focus is on the internal structure of unexploded missiles, the operation of the navigation system, flight data, and why they did not detonate.”
However, he mentioned that it is unlikely for Iran to directly provide core technical data to China, but there may still be some room for specific information exchange. He explained, “Based on the feedback we received from the Iranian side, their attitude is somewhat ambiguous. They will not fully disclose this data, nor completely shut it off. They may provide you with some within a limited range, to exchange for military products or things they need.”
Wu Xiang (pseudonym), a Chinese military technology analyst, told reporters that American-made missiles still lead in guidance systems and strike accuracy. The flight data and hitting performance of these missiles have reference value for China in improving missile accuracy. However, given the current technological level, fully analyzing the related systems remains challenging.
He said, “China’s high-end military technology is probably lagging behind the United States by 10 to 20 years. If the gap is within 10 years, it is still possible to gradually approach through imitation; but if the gap is over 10 years, even approaching 20 years, many technologies may seem incomprehensible and inscrutable. In such cases, cooperation with Russia may be necessary. However, whether it is Iran or Russia, they are very cautious about sharing core military technology with others. In other words, there is still competitive relationship between them.”
Wu Xiang cited the example of the April 1, 2001, US-China EP-3 spy plane collision incident near Hainan. He mentioned that after the American EP-3 aircraft made an emergency landing in Hainan, the Chinese military tried to recover the data on board but found it difficult to analyze: “The military gathered the best military equipment experts nationwide to disassemble the equipment in Hainan, but many things were incomprehensible, and after nearly three months, they still couldn’t fully figure it out and eventually returned the plane to the United States.”
On April 26, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced finding several unexploded American-made missiles in the conflict area and has handed them over to the technical and research departments for analysis. Iran stated that these missiles include models from the GBU and BLU series, which are currently being disassembled and evaluated. These claims have not been confirmed by the American side.
Mainland military enthusiast Liang Xianghao told reporters that unexploded ordnance is of research value in modern conflicts. Once a relatively intact projectile is obtained, its structure, guidance system, and materials are usually analyzed to determine performance characteristics, and then adjust defense or countermeasures accordingly. Such samples hold long-term reference value.
It is reported that during the early stages of the US-Israeli coalition airstrikes on Iran, the Chinese military had contacted the Iranian side expressing willingness to provide technical support. However, China did not directly respond to Iran’s equipment needs, such as smart mines, drones, and radars. Nevertheless, the possibility of China providing related equipment to Iran through third-party channels is not ruled out.
The Chinese authorities have been continuously urging all parties to exercise restraint in the current Middle East situation, emphasizing the resolution of disputes through dialogue and not showing the intention of direct involvement in the conflict. However, several interviewees pointed out that the focus within the military is not completely aligned, referring to it as a “two-faced approach.”
A source familiar with the system told reporters that what China values more is the data left behind on the battlefield: “These things are usually not accessible, but now it’s like being presented to you. Continuing to track weapons performance and real combat data without directly getting involved in the conflict has become an important focus for the military.”