China’s BeiDou satellite navigation system breaks underwater barriers, naval shipbuilder says
- Advances in positioning system ‘could be applied to country’s stealth submarines and subsea drones’
Tests have confirmed advances in the maritime use of China’s home-grown satellite navigation system, gains that could strengthen the ability of the country’s submarines and underwater drones to mount stealth strikes, military specialists said.
China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) said underwater precision positioning tests conducted by its No 716 Research and Development Institute in waters off Lianyungang in Jiangsu province, proved that it had overcome a number of core technical problems with the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System.
CSIC, China’s biggest state-owned naval shipbuilder, said the tests showed that the BeiDou system could not only provide accurate and consistent positioning data to underwater vessels, but could also send tracking and positioning information from underwater devices to shore-based and surface stations.
“The tests were meant to comprehensively test the BeiDou system’s capacity to deal with the complex sea environment,” CSIC said, adding that the system’s positioning accuracy and ranges were better than expected.
But the company did not specify the depths and ranges of the tests.
Beijing-based naval specialist Li Jie said the advances would help Chinese submarines and underwater drones improve their ability to track other vessels and mount precision stealth strikes.