Iran to Use China's BeiDou Navigation Instead of GPS to Target Missiles and Drones with Precision

 Iran to Use China's BeiDou Navigation Instead of GPS to Target Missiles and Drones with Precision

Iran has reportedly abandoned the US-controlled GPS system and adopted China's BeiDou navigation satellite system to increase the accuracy of its missiles and drones. This change is not only a technological upgrade for Iran, but also a strategic move to reverse the balance of military power in the Middle East.

Senior defense analysts have dubbed this new military structure Eyes and Fists. According to Defense Security Asia, China provides intelligence information through its vast satellite network, while Iran carries out deadly strikes with its missiles and drones.

Due to this partnership, Iran has now started receiving accurate information about Israeli and American military locations 24 hours a day, in any weather and in real time. This Chinese system has given Iran the ability to 'find, fix, track and target'. Previously, this was limited to major superpowers.

How did the missile strike become so accurate?

Iran accelerated its GPS abandonment process after the 12-day war with Israel in June 2025. Speaking on the Toxin podcast, former French intelligence director Alain Juillet claimed that the main reason Iranian missiles are so much more accurate than in the past is access to the Chinese Baidu system. He said, “One of the big surprises of this war is the accuracy of the Iranian missiles, which indicates a major change in their guidance system.”

According to military analyst Patricia Marins, the military-grade B3A signal of the Baidu-3 (BDS-3) is almost impossible to jam or spoof. Israel was able to fool several Iranian drones by jamming GPS signals in the 2025 war. But the Baidu system has the ability to automatically filter out such interference. This has reduced the circular error probability of Iranian missiles to less than 5 meters.

Other unique features of Baidu

According to BNE Intellinews and Firstpost, the 'Short Message Communication' (SMC) feature in the Baidu system has proven to be a boon for Iran. This feature allows commanders to communicate two-way with missiles or drones flying 2,000 km away. If a Chinese satellite detects an American 'Patriot' missile battery or an F-35 fighter jet in the middle of the way, the flying drone can be instructed to change course or hide immediately.

Iranian officials' confession and strategic compulsion

Iran's Deputy Minister of Communications Ehsan Chitsaj has confirmed that Iran has had to choose alternatives like Baidu due to internal and external obstacles to GPS. Iran is now implementing the Baidu system not only in missiles but also in transportation, agriculture and internet infrastructure.

Zhang Heqing, Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Tehran, has also publicly confirmed that Iran's Baidu system has been completely infected. According to him, this step has helped reduce dependence on Western digital infrastructure.

Geopolitical impact and future warnings

The 25-year strategic partnership between China and Iran in 2021 laid the foundation for this space cooperation. Theo Nensini (researcher at the ChinaMed Project) says, “Iran’s move shows what future wars will look like. Now wars will be won not only by missile launchers on the ground, but also by satellite networks in space.”

According to Chinese military commentator Zhan Hao, the era of blindly relying on US-controlled infrastructure is over. This successful use by Iran could also inspire other countries in the Middle East to abandon the US GPS system and seek diversity, which will change the digital and military map of the world.

Experts have warned that even if Iranian missiles that are now aimed at Israel or US bases physically come from Iran, the ‘brains’ that guide them will be Chinese satellites.