Photo: UAVOS

UAVOS has collaborated with a client to conduct extensive testing of UAVOS’ autopilot system, which utilizes computer vision technology. UAVOS’ engineering service supported this testing with its advanced avionics system integrated into its unmanned helicopter.

The UAVOS autopilot system uses computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI) to navigate the UAV in GNSS-denied environments with precision and reliability.

The system’s onboard computer vision-based alternative navigation module, powered by deep learning algorithms, provides the UAVOS avionics system with accurate geospatial coordinates. This innovative approach allows for seamless navigation in both daylight and nighttime conditions, ensuring safe take-off and landing procedures without relying on external GNSS signals. By enabling the drone to effectively “see” and interpret its surroundings, UAVOS has created a solution that grants UAVs unprecedented autonomy and operational flexibility.

<p>The post UAVOS tests AI navigation in GNSS-denied environments first appeared on GPS World.</p>

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force and a division within AFWERX, have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) processes. Their efforts focus on accelerating proposal-to-award timelines, expanding opportunities for small businesses and reducing bureaucratic overhead through continuous process improvements.

In 2018, the DAF introduced the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program to broaden its funds’ range of innovations. This initiative has paved the way for companies like TrustPoint to develop innovative capabilities contributing to national defense.

TrustPoint is developing a commercial GPS service using a C-Band low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation. The system is designed to offer the high performance, security and availability required for autonomous navigation, critical infrastructure and national security.

<p>The post TrustPoint secures SpaceWERX contract for complementary PNT first appeared on GPS World.</p>

The top screen showing the hydrogen maser and cesium clocks in an adjacent isolated room used for realization of the timescale for research purposes. Students presenting their work to the USNO and Microchip Inc., visitors. (Photo: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa)

The University of Alabama, with the support of the National Science Foundation (NSF), has established a program unlike any other in the country. It focuses on positioning, navigation, timing, and frequency (PNTF) as its own discipline, with a special emphasis on precise timing.

The Alabama Collaborative for Contemporary Education in Precision Timing (ACCEPT) is an NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program designed to train the next generation of graduate (master’s and Ph.D.) degree holders in PNTF.

ACCEPT provides interdisciplinary training and education for physics, engineering, mathematics and computer science majors. The school hopes to make it a graduate program eventually. Enrollees are awarded a fellowship that includes a $34,000/yr stipend.

“The ACCEPT program was created because industry and government officials told us they could never find enough people in this field,” said Adam Hauser, the program’s executive director, who is also an associate professor of physics and astronomy at the university. According to Hauser “It is the only program in the nation directly addressing a larger scale workforce development in precision timing.”

Left to right: Dr. LeClair, Dr. Hauser and Dr. Bandi founded and run the ACCEPT PNT program at University of Alabama. (Photo: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa)

ACCEPT’s Technical Director — also billed as “Time Lord” — is Thejesh Bandi, an associate professor. He reinforces Hauser’s message about the scarcity of focused talent in the area. “This field is greying,” he says. “We need young minds who will also bring in fresh ideas.”

Hauser describes the program as “a flexible multidisciplinary course curricula that includes professional development, and real-world training with our industry and government partners.”

The program’s “interdisciplinary” nature is reflected in the ACCEPT team. In addition to physics and astronomy, faculty from mathematics, electrical and computer, civil, aerospace, and mechanical engineering, as well as the communications and higher education departments, are included.

This diversity of expertise is needed for ACCEPT’s ‘holistic education” approach founded on four pillars.

1. Industry-Directed Curriculum: First, because the goal is to supply qualified graduates to fill critical national needs in industry, the foundational curriculum is based on and will continue to evolve with input from commercial entities in the PNTF space. In addition to several government agencies and labs, the ACCEPT Advisory Board includes representatives from SpectraDynamics, Aerospace Corporation, Raytheon Technologies, Microchip Technologies, L3Harris Technologies, OEWaves, Inc, Safran S.A., Northrop Grumman Corporation and the Resilient Navigation and Timing (RNT) Foundation.
2. Sustained Industry & Community Immersion: The program’s major focus is moving beyond academia. Internships and PNTF professional community events are mandatory. Students attend the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Time and Frequency Division’s time and frequency seminar each year. In their second year, they begin attending the Institute of Navigation’s annual Precise Time and Time Interval (PTTI) meeting. As their research and professional skills mature, they are expected to progress from attendees to poster presenters and speakers.
3. Professional Development: Reinforcing preparation for moving beyond the classroom, ACCEPT trains students to “… effectively work across academic, policy, governmental and industry sectors,” according to Hauser. “They need to be able to advocate as a professional to a larger audience effectively.” This means including students in programs like the university’s Speaking Studio and Capstone Center for Student Success. Communication skills, teamwork and ethics are particular focus areas.
4. Research: Bandi’s Research Quantime Lab is hosted by Professor Patrick LeClair’s Department of Physics and Astronomy. “Research projects for ACCEPT fellows and trainees are designed in conjunction with our government and industrial partners and focus on cutting-edge innovations that solve today’s problems in currently used technologies,” Le Clair said.

The lab strongly focuses on Quantum Engineering research, though there are also opportunities in Characterization and Calibration, Networking and Synchronization, and research into Precision Devices.

Click here for more information about applying for an ACCEPT fellowship or becoming an industry partner.

<p>The post ACCEPT: University of Alabama prepping next generation of PNTF experts first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Photo: SandboxAQ

SandboxAQ has been awarded an SBIR Phase 2B Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) by the United States Air Force (USAF) to further develop its dual-use AQNav magnetic navigation (MagNav) system. Under the contract, SandboxAQ and its partner AFWERX will explore new configurations of the AQNav technology, including a pod-based attachment, for use on a broader range of aircraft platforms, such as unmanned aerial systems.

AQNav navigation technology combines proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) Large Quantitative Models (LQMs), powerful quantum sensors and the Earth’s crustal magnetic field, resulting in a solution that operates effectively in all weather conditions, day or night and across any terrain. AQNav technology is completely passive and operates in real-time, offering an unjammable and un-spoofable alternative to traditional navigation methods. This system functions entirely independently of GNSS, offering a secure and dependable navigation option in environments where satellite signals may be compromised or unavailable. This is a key example of applying quantitative AI – AI models trained on quantitative data and not language. SandboxAQ is a leader in Large Quantitative Models (LQMs), in this case to pull the signal from the background magnetic noise for navigation.

This funding increase extends a prior Direct-to-Phase-II SBIR contract awarded to SandboxAQ in January 2023. To date, SandboxAQ’s AQNav technology has logged more than 200 flight hours and more than 40 sorties across multiple regions on four different aircraft types, ranging in size from single-engine planes to large military transport aircraft. In this process, AQNav was successfully tested in two USAF exercises – Exercise Golden Phoenix and Exercise Mobility Guardian – Air Mobility Command’s largest exercise at the time.

AQNav uses a powerful quantum magnetometer system to acquire data from Earth’s crustal magnetic field, which exhibits geographically unique patterns – similar to a human fingerprint. AQNav uses proprietary LQMs to compare this data against known magnetic maps, enabling the system to quickly and accurately find its position. Due to the high sensitivity of foundational quantum sensors, AI algorithms are applied to improve the signal-to-noise ratio, removing any mechanical, electrical, or other interference that would impact the system’s ability to acquire its location.

AQNav is available worldwide and can be used in air, land, and sea applications. The system does not rely on visual ground features or satellite transmissions to function and is not affected by weather conditions. Additionally, AQNav’s passive technology emits no electronic signals, which reduces the aircraft’s detectability. It operates at room temperature, requires no shielding, and has a small form factor that can be integrated into a wide variety of platforms, from multi-engine airliners to unmanned aerial vehicles.

SandboxAQ is developing AQNav as a dual-use solution to address the need for resilience to GPS vulnerabilities, which extends societally and economically. In addition to the USAF, SandboxAQ is engaged with several aerospace leaders to test and develop AQNav, including other allied governments, Boeing and Acubed — Airbus’s Silicon Valley research and innovation center.

<p>The post US Air Force and SandboxAQ address GPS jamming and spoofing first appeared on GPS World.</p>

onocoy has launched the onocoy real-time kinematic (RTK) service designed to offer positioning capabilities worldwide.

The service utilizes blockchain technology and a decentralized network of reference stations, offering users accurate correction data for applications requiring centimeter-level positioning. onocoy RTK offers global coverage with data quality controls in place to verify correction information before distribution.

According to onocoy, the service offers quick convergence times and high accuracy due to its dense network of reference stations. It outputs data in the standardized RTCM format for integration with various systems.

onocoy RTk targets industries such as agriculture, construction, mining, robotics and autonomous systems that require flexible and reliable high-precision positioning. onocoy says it is also developing business-to-business offerings, including access to station data and customized solutions.

With this launch, onocoy aims to expand access to RTK technology and advance high-precision positioning capabilities across sectors.

<p>The post Onocoy launches RTK service first appeared on GPS World.</p>

According to ESA’s website, key findings in the paper include:

• Increasing Dependence on PNT Services – particularly for consumer and autonomous solutions. Accurate timing remains a critical use case, especially in telecom and power distribution.
• Geopolitical and Technological Challenges: Rising cyber-attacks, jamming and spoofing, advancements in AI, ML and quantum computing will have significant impacts. Anticipate new regulations.
• Technological Trends Driving PNT Demand: The proliferation of connected devices (IoT), autonomous driving, advanced air mobility, smart grids and autonomous vehicles will drive the demand for resilient and robust PNT.
• System Architecture Evolution: Future PNT systems will utilize a combination of data sources, including multiple GNSS constellations, cellular networks (5G/6G), terrestrial systems, augmentation systems, and autonomous sensors. This “system of systems” approach will enhance performance and ensure independence from single points of failure.
• Emerging Technologies and Sensor Integration: Advances in space segment technologies, receiver designs and sensor integration, new signal designs, flexible payloads, advanced clocks, inter-satellite links, and higher power amplifiers are highlighted.

Luis Mayo

We spoke with Luis Mayo, NAVAC’s chair, to get his take on this seminal work.

Question: To set the stage, what is NAVAC?

Luis Mayo: NAVAC is a group of external PNT experts that ESA has assembled to provide independent advice on navigation issues, and especially for NAVISP.

Q: Where can NAVAC’s formal recommendations be found?

Mayo: We perform an assessment of the NAVISP status every two years. We provide our recommendations as a conclusion of this assessment. Beyond that, our formal recommendations are collected in documents like this white paper or in proposals for modifications or adjustments to the work plans of the programs.

Q: How does ESA leadership generally view and react to NAVAC conclusions and recommendations? Does it act upon every recommendation?

Mayo: They are generally receptive. However, we are just an advisory body, so it is up to them to take on our recommendations. They often do so and use our advice to add weight to their proposal to the Navigation Programme Board, but they do not necessarily have to.

Q: PNT Vision 2035 is a substantial document. Clearly it involved some time and effort. Why was it written? Is it something ESA requested?

Mayo: The paper was the initiative of NAVAC members to inform the ESA Ministerial Conference in 2025. These conferences take place every three years to define the roadmap for the next period. New European space programmes, extensions or redirections of existing ones, and budgets are approved at these meetings.

Q: We thought we might make a modest contribution to the definition of the future ESA navigation programmes. What, if anything, did NAVAC find surprising or unexpected about findings included in the Vision?

Mayo: I would say that we hardly found anything too unexpected or surprising. The findings are the conclusion of multiple discussions on the subject over the past few years. We have just expressed them in a more articulated way.

If anything, and from my personal perspective, I would like to highlight that this exercise helped me realize that the deployment of some of the most exciting or expected applications of PNT technologies — such as autonomous driving — depend on the development and deployment of multiple other technologies that might not be necessarily available in the mid-term.

AVAC’s first meeting in 2018. From left to right: Javier Benedicto, ESA Navigation Director, and NAVAC members Alessandra Fiumara, Peter Grognard, Giorgio Solari, Rafael Lucas Rodriguez, Pierluigi Mancini, Roger McKinlay, Stefano Debei, Nityaporn Sirikan, Bernd Eissfeller and Luis Mayo. (Photo: ESA)

Q: What are the three most important things policymakers should understand from the document?

Mayo: First is that many infrastructures or services critical to the daily lives of the citizens are dependent on PNT technology.

Second, they cannot take for granted that GPS or Galileo services will be always available, not to mention GLONASS or BeiDou. Satellite navigation systems are vulnerable and are continuously under threat. Enabling assured PNT service is a must.

And third, there is more to PNT than satellite navigation. Other complementary or alternative technologies should not be abandoned. In fact, some of those technologies might even change the way in which we have traditionally conceived satellite-based navigation.

Q: What are the most important things policymakers should do to enable the PNT needed by 2035?

Mayo: I think they have to sustain the existing satellite-based navigation systems and foster the development of new technologies and systems that improve the robustness of the services. We have done a lot so far to provide PNT services globally. When you come to think of that, it’s really wonderful what we have achieved this far. We cannot afford to lose what we have, but that has proven not to be enough. Therefore, policymakers should keep helping the development of new technologies and services that complement what we have, improve the quality of the services and ensure its continuous availability and integrity.

They should also look beyond the current service volume. Spacefaring nations should be aware of the fact that they will need this kind of technology to support future missions. Deploying systems able to provide PNT services beyond the coverage of the current GNSS is an absolute necessity to support such missions.

Q: The vision says the EU must consider no longer having access to GLONASS and BeiDou. There are a number of threats that are common to all GNSS. Why not consider loss of access to all either temporarily or permanently?

Mayo: We have not considered a completely catastrophic situation such as losing access to all GNSS in our vision. We understand that GPS, Galileo and eventually other constellations or augmentation systems will remain available and provide at least partial coverage for PNT services.

Q: The vision makes recommendations about mitigating interference, using AI and extending the GNSS service volume. What else should policy and technology decision-makers take from the document and act upon?

Mayo: We must not forget there is a clear case for investing in future PNT systems. ESA should keep up to pace with foreign competitors that seem ready to increase their expenditure in these types of problems.

They also have to be conscious that satellite-based navigation is not enough. We have to look for alternative and complementary systems to reach the level of confidence that we need on PNT solutions.

Q: Perhaps you are thinking of all the PNT systems China has deployed?

Mayo: I am really thinking about what we are not doing in Europe or in the United States. We need to build alternatives that might not have global coverage but would allow us to maintain essential PNT services running at home.

Q: Resilience seems to be an important theme in the document, but it was not the subject of a specific recommendation. Could you speak to that?

Mayo: Resilience is a pervasive theme throughout the whole document. This is a major concern. We have to find a way to build a system of systems that can deliver to the user a trustworthy PNT solution at any time.

Resilience is, today, a key consideration in PNT, and we cannot do anything but acknowledge this fact. We might not have insisted enough on the importance of this feature for future PNT systems, but policymakers must undertake any actions required to improve the resilience of the existing PNT systems and services, probably by promoting the development of alternative independent PNT systems.

Q: What else should GPS World readers know about the Vision?

Mayo: Read the document. It is not that long. Also, think that it has been written from an independent and experienced standpoint. We at NAVAC do not pretend to hold the full truth, but I believe that we have a quite comprehensive view of the matter and that this would be useful for the reader.

<p>The post PNT Vision 2035 – A must read first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Photo: U.S. Army

The U.S. Army has released a Request for White Papers (RfWP) to develop new C5ISR modular open Suite of standards (CMOSS) mounted form factor (CMFF) prototypes.

Through CMFF, the Army aims to easily and rapidly equip ground vehicles and aviation platforms with positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) and electronic warfare (EW), through capability cards plugged into a common chassis.

The chassis, which offers power, networks and radio frequency, allows Soldiers to “plug and play” capabilities right into the vehicle without the need to custom install and upgrade individual communication and computing systems.

In this prototype effort, the key needs are to develop, procure and furnish the Army with the CMFF chassis, also known as Mounted Common Infrastructure (MCI), plus the smart display for user interface, hardware development, software development and Plug-In Cards with the following capabilities:

• Converging tactical communication waveforms.
• Mission Command applications.
• Assured Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (APNT.)
• Force Protection capabilities.

The Army plans to award a contract using the Other Transaction Authority (OTA) with system of system and prototype integrators to provide the complete CMFF system offerings. Industry partners who respond to the RfWP will have an opportunity to showcase the fully functional CMFF system at a technology demonstration in late summer 2024.

“The power of the true concept is when you can take a chassis and put it in another vehicle and you can mix and match cards,” said Col. Shermoan Daiyaan, project manager for Mission Command. “That’s when you’re following a standard. You’re matching a standard, and it just works.”

<p>The post US Army issues white paper request for CMFF prototypes first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Photo: Krattworks

The European Defense Fund (EDF) and the Ministries of Defense of Estonia and Finland have awarded a $6 million investment to Project BadB, a consortium led by KrattWorks, an Estonian defense technology company. The project focuses on developing advanced navigation solutions for land and aerial vehicles that operate independently of GNSS.

Project BadB aims to address the challenges posed by rapidly evolving electronic warfare technologies, such as radio jamming and GNSS spoofing. The project seeks to ensure reliable navigation for unmanned systems operating in contested environments, enhancing their operational effectiveness in active war zones and other critical areas.

Specific objectives of the project include the development of weather-independent up-to-date satellite imagery maps for unmanned aerial and ground vehicles, a machine vision module, an image recognition system and a path planning system, based on sensor data, cross-platform data sharing and swarming.

GIM Robotics will develop GNSS-denied navigation software for land vehicles, designed to resist and detect jamming and spoofing so vehicles can navigate accurately — even when GNSS signals are unavailable. The company’s technology allows land vehicles to maintain precise navigation using alternative data sources, such as satellite imagery and sensor integration.

According to EDF, the project has gained attention among European defense and innovation leaders, who see it as solving a burning issue for the rapidly growing unmanned systems sector. The situation on the technology front has changed significantly in the past two years, as the sector faces new obstacles and opportunities each day.

“We are witnessing an unprecedented fundamental change in the character of war, and our window of opportunity to ensure that we maintain an enduring competitive advantage is closing,” said General (ret) Mark Milley.

GNSS-free navigation and geolocation also possess potential for civic use – such as in applications for critical infrastructure management, natural disaster mitigation and autonomous transportation systems.

Project BadB was selected during the EDF 2023 Calls for Proposals, with a project duration of 24 months. The EDF aims to boost cooperation between companies and research entities to enhance European defense capabilities.

For more information on Project BadB, visit the EDF Project Overview.

<p>The post KrattWorks awarded $6M for GNSS-free navigation first appeared on GPS World.</p>