Just five days before Iran claimed to have struck a U.S. F-35 stealth fighter, a Chinese social media account shared a detailed tutorial that explained how such an attack could be carried out.

The video, posted on March 14 by an account named "Laohu Talks World," explained how Iran could use affordable systems to find and attack America's most advanced fighter jet. The video was watched tens of millions of times. On March 19, Iran said its air defenses had hit a U.S. F-35A during a pre-dawn mission over central Iran, forcing it to make an emergency landing.

The timing was so striking that it was described as ‘prophetic’ in Chinese online circles. However, this is not the only example.

Since the Operation Epic Fury started, more Chinese civilians with science, technology, engineering, and math backgrounds have been sharing military analysis online to help Iran counter U.S. airpower. These posts include technical explanations of weapons and tactical advice, and are shared without pay or official support.

This trend shows a new kind of informal, decentralized knowledge sharing during wartime. Some contributors seem to have real technical expertise with military equipment and are using open-source information to help a country facing one of the world's most powerful air forces.

The main idea of the tutorial, that Iran could use cheap systems to fight a fifth-generation stealth fighter, has some technical support. The F-35 Lightning II is built to avoid radar detection using its shape, special materials, and hidden weapons bays. However, stealth does not make it invisible, and its limits are well known.

Electro-optical and infrared sensors, known as EO/IR systems, do not use radar signals. Since these sensors are passive, they do not set off the radar warning systems on stealth aircraft. The F-35 has its own infrared sensors, but it may not react quickly enough if an enemy locks on at close range.

Chinese military analysts said the March 19 event matched what would happen with an EO/IR intercept. They pointed out that the aircraft probably did not get a radar warning before it was damaged.

In 1962, China created a method to shoot down U.S. U-2 spy planes by keeping radar off until the plane was overhead, then turning it on briefly to fire.

Chinese analysts have also talked a lot about using a similar method against fifth-generation aircraft, turning on air defenses only after a stealth plane has passed and attacking from behind, where it is easier to detect.

At the start of Operation Epic Fury, Iran used fake radar systems to attract Israeli attacks to false targets, while hiding their real systems. This closely follows the same strategy.

Beijing has maintained an official distance from the conflict, although there have been reports claiming it sold offensive drones and components to Iran in the period preceding the strikes.

The spread of civilian tutorials is different because it is unofficial, unpaid, and completely public. It is not clear if the Chinese government sees this grassroots military support as a problem or as something quietly allowed for strategic reasons.

What is clear is that Chinese platforms have not tried to remove the content, which is still widely available.