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Iran war shows why China must change course on missile interception tech: analysis

Beijing should develop an air-based interceptor system as missile threats escalate from the United States and its regional allies, as well as Taiwan and India,…

By Samantha Johnson / March 26, 2026
Beijing should develop an air-based interceptor system as missile threats escalate from the United States and its regional allies, as well as Taiwan and India, a Chinese military magazine urges while citing the Iran war.

The ongoing war in the Middle East, particularly the “nearly insurmountable challenges” posed by Iran’s ballistic missiles to Israel, is exposing the limitations of existing midcourse and terminal-phase missile defence systems, according to an analysis in the March issue of Defence Review journal.

As a result, it suggested, boost or ascent-phase interception by forward-deployed aircraft was now essential. The article proposed deploying fighters and/or drones equipped with air-launched missile interceptors to approach potential enemy missile sites in the “first island chain” and loitering to hunt the ballistic missiles shortly after launch.

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At the boost stage, ballistic missiles move more slowly, lack manoeuvrability and emit intense infrared heat signatures that are easier for interceptors to track. Additionally, if they were successfully neutralised, any debris or hazardous payload would fall on or near the launch area rather than on the territory of the defending side, thereby minimising collateral damage, the analysis said.

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“China has long faced substantial missile threats…which currently remain extremely severe,” it said, stressing the need for a “comprehensive, multilayered missile defence network capable of covering all flight phases of incoming ballistic missiles”, referring to the boost, midcourse and terminal stages.

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Meanwhile, in Taiwan’s arsenal, some indigenously developed systems and some US-supplied weapons, such as the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), are capable of striking targets along the mainland coast, and even deep inland, the report said.

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