Do Chinese Radars in Venezuela Stop Working? Even Americans Are Shocked

Venezuela did indeed purchase three radar systems from China: JY-27A, JY-11B, and JYL-1. These are not secret weapons at all, but typical long-range early warning radars whose primary mission is simply "to detect if any aircraft are approaching from afar." They are not fire-control radars designed to directly guide missiles to targets. In other words, their role is more like that of a sentry rather than a sniper.

Moreover, these systems are no longer new. According to multiple open-source intelligence reports and local military observers, official Chinese military cooperation with Venezuela effectively ceased by 2022. Although some private companies occasionally send spare parts, it's merely a drop in the ocean. As for Venezuela itself? Power supply has been chronically unstable, with nationwide blackouts a common occurrence—let alone maintaining the operation of sophisticated electronic equipment.

This isn't about the equipment being faulty; it's about the entire logistical system having collapsed. By the end of 2025, over half of Venezuela's JYL-1 and JY-11B radars had already been decommissioned, while the JY-27A has been in a prolonged "maintenance-required" state due to lack of cooling system spare parts. Even the Russian-made S-300 air defense system has been non-operational for 18 consecutive months, and only one Buk system remains barely functional—kept alive only through makeshift repairs and parts scavenging.

So here's the question: Is it reasonable to expect a country that can't even guarantee stable electricity and relies on "archaeological-style" patchwork for spare parts to keep imported radars in combat-ready condition?

At this point, Taylor Rogow, editor at The War Zone, spoke up with some common sense. He stated plainly: "The recent criticism of Chinese radars' performance in Venezuela is utterly absurd. Have you even understood the basic facts before jumping to conclusions?"

He specifically pointed out that fixed long-range early warning radars are inherently not capable of independently defending against surprise attacks. Moreover, Venezuela has never established a complete integrated air defense system—no data links, no command centers, no coordinated fire-control radars. With just a few isolated radars operating alone, how could they possibly stop the U.S. military?

This actually hits the core point: modern air defense isn't about who can see farther, but about the integration capability of the entire system. The radars exported by China were designed to operate within a fully supported environment, such as when paired with HQ-9 or J-16 fighters. But in Venezuela, they've been dropped into an "information island," with no maintenance, no network connectivity, and no ability to guide intercepts.