I'm not going to persistently post about anything related to satellites here, or I'd end up posting car commercials. This is historic, though.
[2026-07-15] Inside China Business — Intelligence analysts note dramatic, and sudden, advances in Iranian missile and drone capabilities.
During last year’s war on Iran, IDF and American forces successfully “spoofed” Iranian drones and missiles, which relied on GPS navigation systems.
But after that conflict, Iran switched to Beidou, a Chinese satnav system that cannot be jammed by Western militaries.
Beidou is also more accurate than GPS in most of the world, including in the Persian Gulf region.
Iranian drones and missiles are now threading through air defenses, and taking down critical, high-value targets across the Gulf States, who also rely on GPS.
Ironically, China’s motivation to build the Beidou system began over thirty years ago, when the Pentagon switched off GPS to a Chinese container ship bound for Iran.
By 2020, Beidou leapt past GPS in coverage and accuracy in most of the world.
Closing scene, Xizang
Resources and links:
“Breathing Fire” After Yinhe Embarrassment, China’s Pledge To Counter U.S. GPS Reaches Key Milestone https://www.eurasiantimes.com/gps-an-embarrassment-like-the-yinhe-incident/
The GPS Blackout That Changed Everything for China https://www.bastillepost.com/global/article/5927187-the-gps-blackout-that-changed-everything-for-china
Iran turns to China’s BeiDou satellites to outfox Israeli anti-drone electronic warfare defences https://www.intellinews.com/iran-turns-to-china-s-beidou-satellites-to-outfox-israeli-anti-drone-electronic-warfare-defences-430349/
Could Iran be using China’s highly accurate BeiDou navigation system? https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/3/11/could-iran-be-using-chinas-highly-accurate-beidou-navigation-system
China’s Push for Satellite Cooperation in the Middle East https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/chinas-push-satellite-cooperation-middle-east
In 165 countries, China's Beidou eclipses American GPS https://asia.nikkei.com/spotlight/century-of-data/in-165-countries-china-s-beidou-eclipses-american-gps
伊朗副部长：正在探索从GPS切换到中国北斗系统 https://m.guancha.cn/internation/2025_07_31_784997.shtml
Gulf Countries Confront Questions About Relying on U.S. for Protection https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/15/world/middleeast/gulf-iran-war-us.html
Iran reportedly destroys $300M US missile defence radar in Jordan https://www.trtworld.com/article/6ddaf3c21548
How Iran Devastated an American Naval Base—and Caused a U.S. Recalculation https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/iran-u