US officials believe that a Chinese-made shoulder-fired missile was likely used by Iranian forces to shoot down a US F-15E Strike Eagle over southwestern Iran last month, NBC News reported Saturday.
The incident marks the first time in decades that the US has had to acknowledge that one of its jets was shot down by enemy fire, although three F-15Es were also shot down in Kuwait in March.
Washington insists the Kuwait incident was due to 'friendly fire,' even as Iran claims responsibility.
Following the downing of the F-15E in southwestern Iran, the Pentagon allegedly launched a two-day rescue operation to recover the aircraft’s two-man crew, whose names and photos have not yet been made public.
While US officials continue to investigate the specifics of the shootdown, intelligence sources suggest that Beijing may also have provided Tehran with an advanced, long-range early-warning radar, the YLC-8B, designed to track stealth aircraft.
US President Donald Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping had personally "promised" him that Beijing would not supply military hardware to Iran, adding, "That’s a beautiful promise. I take him at his word. I appreciated it."
However, reports of Chinese-manufactured man-portable air defense systems, or Manpads, being found on the battlefield have raised questions about those assurances.
In response to the allegations, the Chinese Embassy in Washington issued a statement rejecting the claims as "groundless smear and ill-intentioned association," saying that "China always acts prudently and responsibly on the export of military products," in accordance with international regulations.
Recent US intelligence indicates that Beijing might be planning to supply more air defense weapons to Iran soon.
While China has historically provided an economic lifeline and dual-use technology to Iran, US officials noted that previous assistance has not had a "decisive operational impact" on the current conflict.