Two portable air defense missiles precisely strike the stealth fighter target drone in the night sky at the same time. Photo: Screenshot from the CCTV News military channel

A video released by state media on Saturday showed how Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Army soldiers, through coordinated teamwork, can use portable air defense missiles to shoot down stealth fighters, detailing the training and the principles behind it. 

An expert said this example demonstrates the PLA's capability to counter high-value targets with low-cost equipment through systematic coordination, noting this tactic would be a good addition to the broader system of the PLA's anti-stealth capabilities.

During the live-fire verification exercise featured in the CCTV News military channel video, teams conducted coordinated firing using man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) and HQ-16 air defense missiles. The HQ-16 engaged the majority of incoming targets, leaving the stealth fighter to the portable missiles.

The video explained that in real combat, large air defense missiles are mostly radar-guided, but radar has difficulty detecting stealth fighters, which is precisely why stealth aircraft can operate with near impunity. Portable missiles, however, use infrared guidance that tracks heat sources, which can actually increase the probability of detecting such targets.

The use of infrared guidance to strike stealth aircraft also drew attention in early 2026. In March, Iran reportedly shot down an F-35 fighter, with analysis suggesting that Tehran likely used infrared detection technology to hit the aircraft, challenging the myth of the F-35's stealth invincibility.

However, using portable missiles to shoot down stealth fighters is no easy task, said the CCTV video. Due to their much shorter range compared with large air defense missiles, the operators must quickly move to positions where the stealth fighter is likely to appear and launch the missiles when the aircraft is closest to them.

Moreover, this type of engagement requires extremely high synchronization between the two operators. Since portable missiles are infrared-guided and highly sensitive to heat sources, if the launches are not synchronized, the later missile might lock onto the earlier one as a target, the video explained.

The video noted that the two operators had been conducting synchronization training and are now fully ready. Upon command, two missiles streaked across the night sky and simultaneously struck the target drone with precision.

The portable missile unit's flawless performance marked the completion of its first experimental tactical exercise, making it possible to use portable missiles against stealth fighters on future battlefields, commented the video.

This coordinated drill demonstrates that through proper coordination within the air defense system, low-cost equipment can indeed unlock new combat value and pose a certain counterbalance to high-value stealth targets, Song Zhongping, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Sunday.

To detect stealth targets, the HQ-16 field air defense system requires multiple detection units to conduct continuous, uninterrupted scanning of the same direction. This multi-static array deployment can exploit loopholes in stealth, such as the fact that stealth is not omnidirectional. Therefore, making use of multi-directional detection can increase the probability of finding a target. Portable missiles, meanwhile, serve as an important supplement to the radar-guided system. The combination of the two can indeed engage stealth targets, Song explained.

Song also noted that this shows the mature nature of the PLA's data link and information fusion systems. However, as the video shows, this is no easy feat, it requires a high degree of coordination and skilled operational techniques.

The expert also emphasized that using portable missiles against stealth fighters is just one part of the PLA's anti-stealth system. There are other non-MANPADS infrared-guided missiles and other guidance mechanisms that also contribute to anti-stealth capabilities.

Anti-stealth capability development is a multi-channel, multi-dimensional systems engineering effort. At the detection level, in addition to multi-band radar deployment, other technical approaches include passive radar, lidar and future quantum radar, all of which can effectively detect and lock onto stealth targets. Meanwhile, airborne early warning aircraft represent another critical component of the PLA's anti-stealth capability, providing surveillance and command guidance over a wider airspace, Song said.

This multi-dimensional integrated anti-stealth capability is a key direction for future air defense system development, Song added.