How Chinese-Made Radar Defense Systems Failed in Venezuela

The success of a lightning-fast raid on Caracas raises new doubts about Chinese military capabilities, a military analyst said.Illustration by The Epoch Times, Imaginechina/Alamy, public domain, Freepik, The White House|January 06, 2026Updated:January 06, 2026U.S. forces stormed into Venezuela before dawn on Jan. 3 and captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a lightning operation that punched in and out of Caracas before its air defenses could mount an effective response.The U.S. mission—code-named Operation Absolute Resolve—has quickly become more than a political shockwave. Analysts have said it was also a real-world test of U.S. military power against a country that has spent years buying Chinese- and Russian-made air-defense systems and showcasing them as proof that it could deter Washington.