Image: Copilot AI
What’s new: An article from an Indian think tank about China supporting Iran with military-grade Bei Dou.
Why it’s important:
- If the research is to be believed, several of Bei Dou’s advanced and military features have helped Iran substantially in recent conflicts.
- This is another demonstration of how PNT is a tool in great power competition.
What else to know:
- It is pretty well established that China’s Bei Dou is more advanced in many ways than GPS.
- A lot of these kinds of things about China’s support to others can be hard to confirm. On the other hand why would they not do this?
Published on Jun 22, 2026
As PNT systems become the decisive front in modern warfare, Iran’s pivot to BeiDou shows how navigation sovereignty can neutralise technological superiority
Recent global conflicts have highlighted the growing importance of Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) systems and navigation warfare. In particular, Iran’s continued success against the combined onslaught of both Israeli and American armed forces exemplifies the critical role of PNT systems in modern warfare. This has been borne out by the precision targeting of Iranian missiles and drones, alongside the widespread disruption to naval traffic caused by GPS jamming along the Strait of Hormuz. The proliferation and commercialisation of drones, PNT systems, and electronic warfare (EW) have had a profound impact on modern conflict, providing cost-effective asymmetric capabilities for nations that may otherwise not be the most technologically advanced or sophisticated.
