Tag: GAJT

Keeping up with jamming, spoofing threats

Hexagon | NovAtel’s GAJT-710ML installed on a U.S. Army vehicle. Photo: U.S. Army Futures Command

We asked Dean Kemp, Ph.D., director of Marketing, Aerospace and Defense for Hexagon’s Autonomy & Positioning division, a few questions.

How do jamming and spoofing threats change?

Jamming and spoofing methods change as new interference-causing technologies become available. As such, it’s vital for us to continuously evaluate potential sources of threats and provide the highest possible level of resiliency to interference in our solutions.

Have new threats emerged in the past six weeks in connection with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?

Evidence is emerging that electronic-warfare systems capable of high-power jamming and spoofing across wide areas are being used within Ukraine. Fortunately, there have been no known impacts on allied forces. However, knowing that the technology is in place and in use highlights the importance of assured positioning, navigation and timing (APNT) and our contribution to building resiliency in allied forces’ equipment against the potentially destabilizing effects of jamming and spoofing.

How do you define APNT?

We use APNT to describe measurements that are always accurate, available and reliable. Our anti-jamming, anti-spoofing and other resilience-building capabilities provide trusted and available PNT information at the level of accuracy requested.

When did you introduce GPS Anti-Jam Technology (GAJT)? How do you define it?

GAJT was introduced in 2011 and is our leading APNT solution. GAJT units are utilized worldwide across land, sea and air, with rapid deployment supported by commercial off-the-shelf solutions and short lead times. GAJT provides jamming protection of satellite-based navigation and precise timing receivers from intentional jamming and unintentional interference whatever your application. Product variants provide features to best support anti-jamming capabilities for the warfighter, national infrastructure, low-SWaP platforms and other mission-critical applications.

What are the key differences between the GAJT-710ML, the GAJT-710MS and the GAJT-410MS?

The GAJT-710 is designed for land vehicles (ML variant) and marine vessel platforms (MS variant) with up to six simultaneous nulls to protect against jamming signals and interference. The next generation of GAJT-710 includes jammer direction-finding and a silent mode to reduce its thermal signature. The GAJT-410 maintains the high levels of interference-rejection performance in the 710 but in a lower size, weight and power (SWaP) design, with three simultaneous nulls, for both land and marine variants. It also utilizes a single RF cable to provide clean power, data and protected GPS signal. The GAJT-410 enables APNT while also reducing the need for platform modifications or armor penetration.

The GAJT-AE extends jamming and interference protection to unmanned and autonomous applications. Using an external CRPA antenna, the GAJT-AE offers flexibility of integration into space-constrained platforms.

Is the GAJT-AE-N Anti-Jam Antenna receiver-agnostic?

We designed our GAJT product line to be receiver-agnostic and compatible with legacy and modern GNSS receivers. This flexibility results in GAJT being ideal for civil and military applications, including SAASM and M-code systems.

How does your GNSS Resilience and Integrity Technology (GRIT, launched in 2020 November) relate to your GAJT antennas?

GRIT is a firmware suite for our OEM7 receivers that expands their situational awareness and interference mitigation tools. GRIT includes our Interference Toolkit (ITK) along with spoofing detection to identify when your GNSS signal may be under threat. It also empowers the user to develop interference location algorithms through time-tagged snapshots of data samples to characterize the RF environment around your operations. GRIT, alongside GAJT, forms the foundation of our APNT strategy in providing accurate and always-available PNT.

Do you have any recent contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense or the militaries of other NATO countries to supply GAJT antennas?

Our GAJT product portfolio has been sold in large quantities to military and civil organizations for many years, successfully proving itself in the field. In 2020, we achieved a milestone of more than several thousand units shipped worldwide, making it one of Hexagon | NovAtel’s more successful years.

May 16, 2022
British Army Light Dragoons demo anti-jam technology

NATO forces are deployed in some of the world’s most aggressive electronic-warfare (EW) environments. Intentional interference comes both from “personal protection” devices and large, high-powered EW assets.

To navigate despite EW, armed forces need reliable and resilient GNSS/GPS positioning with anti-jam technology. The Light Dragoons — a light cavalry regiment of the British Army — are in a perfect position to test anti-jam technology for assured positioning, navigation and timing (A-PNT).

The Light Dragoons were deployed as the United Kingdom’s Light Cavalry contribution to “Battlegroup Poland,” part of NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence. On the front line, the Light Cavalry engage in reconnaissance, mark targets for indirect fires, and prepare routes for the rest of the force. In this role, being prepared for EW is essential.

To test A-PNT technologies, the Light Cavalry took part in Project Thundercat, a light cavalry capability investigation run by the Armoured Trials and Development Unit (ATDU). A Hexagon | NovAtel GPS anti-jam technology (GAJT) antenna, the GAJT-410ML, was fitted to a Jackal high-mobility transporter and integrated with its onboard positioning system.

GAJT successfully defeats jamming on GPS L1 and L2 and Galileo E1 frequencies. When interference is detected, GAJT recognizes the unwanted interference and reduces reception in that direction. The result is a more resilient GNSS solution, protected measurements and A-PNT.

The Light Dragoons found that GAJT successfully protected their positioning system despite experiencing interference. The GAJT-410ML antenna was easy to install in a simple plug-in-and-go process.

In upcoming experiments, the British Army will use NovAtel technology to gain electronic situational-awareness data to characterize the radio frequency environment.

GAJT systems are offered by NovAtel with customized offerings for land, marine and air applications.

The Light Dragoons test NovAtel GAJT anti-jamming antennas in Project Thundercat. (Photo: Photo: British Army)

May 3, 2021
Four decades of leadership

Miguel Amor, chief marketing officer, Hexagon’s Autonomy & Positioning Division

GPS World celebrates its 30th anniversary, and together we’ve seen huge leaps of innovation over the years. Reflecting on these developments, I wanted to share some of the contributions Hexagon | NovAtel made to support the evolution of the GNSS industry.

We began in 1978 in Alberta, Canada, in the telecommunications industry. In the 1990s, we shifted our focus to satellite receivers, choosing to forge ahead in GPS/GNSS technology. This decision would see NovAtel become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high-precision GNSS components and systems developing multiple new patents and innovative solutions.

Our engineers have seen first-hand the growth of GPS and other satellite positioning systems worldwide, GNSS adoption across industries from aerospace to agriculture, and the present-day developments of precise positioning in autonomous applications. A rising tide raises all boats, and we helped foster the evolution of the industry through our goals of assured autonomy and positioning.

GAJT-710ML anti-jam antenna. (Photo: Hexagon)

Assured positioning means a reliable and robust solution you can trust. Technologies we’ve contributed to the broader industry include our GPS Anti-Jam Technology (GAJT) protecting users’ positioning, time and navigation, and SPAN technology, which expertly combines GNSS and inertial navigation systems (INS) measurements for seamless motion observations and a robust positioning solution. The capabilities of these technologies have been major contributors to the evolution of the GNSS industry.

Hexagon acquired NovAtel in 2007, and we’ve continued to grow and develop exciting new opportunities around the world where GNSS can grow, strengthen and improve applications in agriculture, automotive, defense, marine and many other industries. Our mission of assured autonomy and positioning encourages us to continue providing assured positioning in the most demanding environments and begin bringing autonomy to these markets.

GPS World has been a key player in covering these technological advancements for the past three decades. Together as an industry, we’ll continue innovating positioning and autonomy, and I’m excited to see how the industry will evolve over the next 30 years.

September 30, 2020
Anti-jam technology gets smaller with NovAtel system

Photo: NovAtel

Hexagon | NovAtel launched the GAJT-410ML GPS anti-jam system in 2019. The compact design of the new, smaller version of NovAtel’s GPS Anti-Jam Technology (GAJT) can be rapidly integrated into space-constrained military vehicles (see photo). The system is easy to use while protecting GPS-based navigation and precise timing receivers (including M-code) from intentional jamming and accidental interference, according to NovAtel.

Spoofing, or the ability to give false data to a receiver, is a different challenge from jamming, with potentially even graver consequences. The GAJT portfolio provides protection from both jamming and spoofing to best defend military systems.

Spoofing Detection. As a trusted partner for guidance, navigation and control, NovAtel is developing robust spoofing detection technology that will be available in the company’s product portfolio soon. The additional spoofing information empowers users to make informed decisions about the radio frequency environment they are operating in, alerting them if malicious actors are present. This provides actionable intelligence as part of a layered approach to defend against jamming and spoofing.

NAVWAR Support. NovAtel OEM components and military off-the-shelf items are engineered to deliver precise, assured positioning and timing. Deep GNSS expertise and lean manufacturing capabilities enable the effective delivery of high-performance products in large volumes with minimal production and delivery times. This approach is combined with a high level of support to achieve low product return rates.

April 30, 2020
NovAtel reduces size of anti-jam GAJT
NovAtel has added the GAJT-410ML to its GPS Anti-Jam Technology (GAJT) portfolio. Designed specifically for rapid integration into space-constrained military land applications, the easy-to-use system protects GPS-based navigation and precise timing receivers, including M-code, from both intentional and accidental interference, the company said.

The GAJT-410ML is the next evolution of NovAtel’s battle-proven anti-jam technology. It maintains the high levels of interference rejection performance as in the larger GAJT-710ML system, but in a lower size, weight and power (SWaP) design.

Photo: NovAtel

Working alongside the GAJT-410ML, the Power Injector Data Converter (PIDCTM) provides access to the jammer status and direction-finding (DF) information. It also provides clean power and data over the same cable that delivers the protected GPS signal back to the receiver, which reduces the need for costly platform modifications. The PIDC can be supplied in either an enclosure or board and is available to license for installation into third-party equipment.

NovAtel Defence Segment Manager Dean Kemp noted, “Building on the success of our existing anti-jam portfolio, the GAJT-410ML is the first system to address the needs of smaller land-based platforms and add situational awareness capability to already high levels of mitigation performance.”

“This product offers more choices for system integrators and end users to protect against GPS denied or constrained situations and delivers on our commitment to provide assured positioning anywhere,” Kemp added.

Learn more about the GAJT-410ML anti-jam antenna or talk with NovAtel’s team of specialists at these upcoming trade shows:
- The Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) – May 20 – 23, 2019, Tampa, FL USA
- CANSEC – May 29 – 30, 2019, Ottawa, ON Canada
- Joint Navigation Conference (JNC) – July 8 – 11, 2019, Long Beach, CA USA
- International Defence Industry Exhibition MSPO (Canadian Pavilion) – September 3 – 6, 2019, Kielce, Poland
- Defence & Security Equipment International (DSEI) – September 10 – 13, 2019, London, UK
May 16, 2019
Anti-jam antennas advance aboard army observation vehicles

NovAtel’s GPS Anti-Jam Technology (GAJT) now rides into battle and military exercises aboard the Canadian Army’s Artillery Observation Post Vehicles (OPV) that have been fitted with the GAJT‑710ML antenna.

OPVs are highly mobile vehicles that perform observation, reconnaissance and patrolling missions, surveying and acquiring strategic targets and relaying instant, accurate target coordinates acquisition to artillery fire command systems. With their exposed position on the frontlines of the battlefield, OPVs can encounter severe GPS jamming aimed at crippling their capabilities. OPVs require reliable Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) not only to safely and effectively navigate on the battlefield, but to provide reliable information to artillery in the rear.

GAJT provides protection for GPS navigation and precise timing receivers from intentional jamming in electronic attacks, ensuring that the satellite signals necessary to compute position and time are always available.

“GAJT allows us to have confidence that the position information from the GPS constellation is assured.” said Major Mike Moulton, the project manager in the Directorate of Land Communication Systems Program Management.

NovAtel’s GAJT is a retrofittable system. A military-off-the-shelf (MOTS) product, it comes in versions suitable for land or sea applications and smaller platforms such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The antenna works with an array of military and civil receivers, including the Army’s handheld Defense Advanced GPS Receiver (DAGR), other military receivers using SAASM and M-Code, and with civil receivers.

“GAJT scrubs off unwanted signals. It differentiates between what we can recognize as a signal coming from a satellite and something anomalous, which could be interference or deliberate jamming,” explained Peter Soar, NovAtel’s Business Development Manager for defence. “GAJT does not contain a GPS receiver, but works with the receiver that’s already installed. So GAJT faithfully passes the good satellite signals to the receiver which then operates functions such as integrity monitoring in its normal way. GAJT is in use operationally and has been shipped to 16 allied nations around the globe.”

GAJT is a null-forming antenna system that ensures that satellite signals necessary to compute position and time remain available. There is no need to replace the GPS receiver that’s already installed, as GAJT works with both civil and military receivers operating in the GPS L1 and L2 bands. It is ready for M-Code, is a non-ITAR product and is readily available to authorized customers.

Trials with the Canadian Army’s testing unit validated the technology, maintaining access to the GPS signal in an adverse signal environment. It also gave NovAtel engineers a detailed unclassified report on the trial findings and recommendations. The feedback helped NovAtel modify GAJT into a stronger product. The GAJT-710ML antennas were delivered earlier this year, and the Army worked with General Dynamics Missions Systems Canada, the prime contractor for the mission systems on the OPV, to integrate the antenna aboard the vehicle.

“GAJT is a Canadian success story. It is 100 percent produced in Canada and sourced from Canadian components. I think that the Directorate of Land Communication Systems Program Management have shown there is excellent technology in Canada that can be leveraged to meet the Army’s requirements in a very rapid manner,” added Moulton.

This story uses some quotes that first appeared in “Out of a Jam,” an article by Chris Thatcher in Canadian Army Today.

Image: NovAtel

November 6, 2018
NovAtel’s GPS anti-jam technology chosen for UK’s Type 26 frigate

NovAtel’s GPS Anti-Jam Technology (GAJT) has been selected for the United Kingdom’s Type 26 frigates to meet a requirement as part of a protected navigation system.

The frigates are 21st-century warships that will replace the Type 23 frigate as the workhorse of the British Fleet, undertaking the Royal Navy’s three core roles — warfighting, maritime security and international engagement — on the world stage.

GAJT-710MS

GAJT protects GPS-based navigation and precise timing receivers from intentional jamming and accidental interference, ensuring that the satellite signals necessary to compute position and time are always available. It is a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) product, and comes in versions suitable for land, sea, fixed installations and smaller platforms such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Warships, military vehicles and platforms, networks and timing infrastructure can all benefit from the protection that GAJT provides. There is no need to replace GPS receivers already installed, because GAJT works with civil and military receivers including SAASM and M-code.

The Type 26 frigates of the British Fleet will use NovAtel anti-jam technology. (Photo: BAE Systems)

“The selection of GAJT for the Type 26 frigates is the result of cooperation between Drumgrange, with its proven track record for rapid realisation of demanding defence design tasks, and Forsberg Services, an established navigation systems company and NovAtel dealer whose high quality manufacturing was instrumental to the project,” said Peter Soar, business development manager for military and defence at NovAtel. “GAJT is in use operationally and has been shipped to 16 allied nations around the globe. We are grateful for the rigorous technology selection process conducted which led to this choice.”

NovAtel’s commitment to precise, assured positioning and timing is central to the design of the GAJT antenna. The company’s lean manufacturing techniques and quality processes mean that it can ramp up quickly to meet volume requirements. Reliability is assured by NovAtel’s industry-best low return rate.

November 30, 2017