Listen to the article
The Iranian military has achieved unprecedented accuracy levels in its drone and missile capabilities by relying on Chinese and Russian-made guidance chips linked to satellite systems.
Exploiting a technology invented in the UK almost half a century ago has allowed Iran to use imported satellite chips to gain a significant advantage for its missiles and drones.
The development marks a major shift in Tehran’s strike capabilities, with experts warning that the Iran war demonstrated a level of accuracy not previously associated with the country’s arsenal.
Western security sources also told The National that there is a “high probability” that Iranian targeting experts are based at Russian satellite ground stations receiving precise location information.
Key to the advance are specialised computer chips designed for sophisticated navigation systems, installed in Iran’s Shahed drones and its ballistic missiles.
Iranian engineers have been able to combine satellite-linked guidance with Controlled Reception Pattern Antenna (CRPA) technology, allowing weapons to resist jamming and maintain course even in electronically contested environments.
The result, experts say, is a “pinpoint” targeting capability.
“CRPA allows drones and missiles to filter out jamming signals and lock onto genuine satellite data,” a Western official said. “That means they can stay on target even in heavily defended airspace. It’s a capability that, until recently, was largely confined to more advanced military powers.”
Defence analyst Robert Tollast of the RUSI think tank described the shift as an important moment in Iran’s military development.
“CRPA is really critical because its antennas give drones the ability to hit a specific building and significantly reduce their vulnerability to electronic warfare. This is transformative for the Iranians.”
He added that Iran’s long-running alliance with Russia, which led to Tehran supplying Moscow with Shahed drones now fired en masse into Ukraine, had considerably supported its military development.
Recent attacks on US airbases and key sites across the Gulf have highlighted Iran’s ability to strike within metres of an intended target. That suggests a “dramatic improvement”, Mr Tollast said, over earlier Iranian systems, which were inconsistent and had wide error margins.
Iran launched more than 4,550 Shahed-136 kamikaze drones during the recent conflict.
A pivotal attack demonstrating this accuracy was the mass strike on Prince Sultan Air Base near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, early last month.
It is understood that up to 30 Shahed drones and six ballistic missiles were fired with high precision, hitting a highly valued E-3 AWACS early warning surveillance aircraft directly on its rotating radar.
A further five KC-135 refuelling tankers were heavily damaged and 12 US personnel were injured, raising questions about America’s ability to defend itself against more accurate attacks.
Iran had earlier demonstrated its improved accuracy with a salvo of 30 missiles on Israel’s Nevatim airbase, striking the runway, hangars and buildings during its October 2024 attacks.
Chinese navigation
Bleddyn Bowen, professor of astropolitics at Durham University and an expert on space warfare, pointed to China providing its BeiDou technology, which gives access to its independent global satellite navigation system and provides Iran with all-weather, high-accuracy positioning and timing.
“This will significantly help Iran’s targeting system if they are using China’s chips and the BeiDou system, which is good, or Russia’s GLONASS system, which is less effective,” he said.
Matt Archer, the launch director of the UK Space Agency, indicated he was limited in what he could say but suggested that Iran’s improved accuracy resulted from better satellite guidance.
“Any kind of ballistic object requires good navigation, and I have no doubt that Iran has the capability to target accurately.”
He also suggested that Russia and China likely played a role.
“It is a bit surprising, the accuracy that they’ve had on American airbases, which has been extraordinary.”
He added that it demonstrated “the importance of understanding what space-based assets there are and what capability that enables on the ground”, particularly in conflict.
While there is no official confirmation of China and Russia’s role, there has been increasing military co-operation between Tehran, Beijing and Moscow.
