The war over Iran may be about what didn’t happen. When the U.S. and Israel launched coordinated precision strikes, Iran’s layered air defence network was put to a real combat test. At the center of that shield sits China’s HQ-9B — a long-range system marketed as cutting-edge and battle-ready. On paper, it tracks dozens of targets, fires in any direction, and counters jets, drones and missiles. But key infrastructure was still hit. Radar sites were reportedly neutralized early. This isn’t the first time questions have surfaced — India’s Operation Sindoor in 2025 raised similar doubts. So did the HQ-9B fail again? Palki Sharma tells you.