Tag: PNT system

Four innovations strengthening navigation resilience against RF interference

1. Anti-jamming antenna
For defense, marine and critical infrastructure

The CR8894SXF+ is an advanced controlled reception pattern antenna (CRPA) for anti-jamming. It is engineered to provide efficient interference protection and real-time situational awareness across critical infrastructure, marine and defense environments where GNSS continuity is mission critical. It is specifically designed to provide a low-power and lightweight solution in a compact size. It features advanced in-band null forming to protect GPS L1/L2 and Galileo E1/E5b signals, helping ensure resilient positioning, navigation and timing in environments with contested, congested or degraded radio frequency conditions. The antenna incorporates Calian’s eXtended Filtering interference mitigation technology to maintain performance and reliability when RF threats are present. The CRPA supports in-band null-forming of 20 dB to 40 dB and out-of-band rejection up to 80 dB across 700 MHz to 2,500 MHz. It includes two independent low-noise amplifier channels, allowing continued operation if one signal band is compromised. The antenna forms nulls in both upper (L1/E1) and lower (L2/E5b) GNSS bands to actively suppress jamming sources. A serial output interface provides real-time feedback, enabling users to monitor RF conditions and system status. Calian GNSS, calian.com

2. PNT system
Integrates GNSS receiver, INS, atomic clock

Photo: Safran

The BlackNaute autonomous positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) system integrates Safran’s HRG dual-core inertial navigation technology, the Skylight multi-mode GNSS receiver board, and an atomic clock to offer navigation resilience in challenging electronic warfare environments. BlackNaute’s built-in atomic clock is designed to maintain precise timing, which is essential for secure communications and collaborative combat operations. The system features advanced anti-jamming and anti-spoofing algorithms, which have been validated in more than 16,000 operational cases. These capabilities allow BlackNaute to detect compromised signals and automatically switch to autonomous and trusted navigation and timing sources to ensure continuity of operations. Its modular design allows it to be adapted across a variety of platforms. Airbus Helicopters has selected the NH90 to be equipped with this new Embedded GNSS and Time INS (EGTI). Safran Electronics & Defense, safran.com

3. Interference detection
Suite enhanced for greater accuracy, coverage and insight

Photo: US Navy

HawkEye 360’s GNSS-I Detection suite includes powerful enhancements to its GNSS interference detection capabilities. The upgrades — designed with defense, intelligence and national security operations in mind — offer unprecedented accuracy, coverage and insight into global GPS jamming and spoofing threats. The update includes a new wider frequency algorithm that better distinguishes individual emitters, incorporates GPS spoofing detection, and is terrain adjusted for better geolocation accuracy, delivering greater situational awareness and more precise geolocation of interference sources worldwide. The enhanced product suite supports strategic decision-making by providing timely, precise insight into potential signal disruptions, enabling stakeholders to better assess risk, respond confidently, and maintain operational continuity in dynamic environments. HawkEye 360, he360.com

4. VTOL UAS
For complex intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions

Photo: ESEN

The GöKHUN unmanned aerial system (UAS) is a tactical vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone system developed for versatile missions on land or at sea. GöKHUN combines the compact mobility of a NATO Class I UAV with the performance data of a Class II tactical system. It uses the SP 210 FI GS 2-stroke engine from Sky Power International. With a take-off weight of up to 110 kg and a maximum fuel and payload capacity of 26 kg, the GöKHUN can remain in the air for up to 16 hours with a minimum payload. Even with a demanding sensor load of 12 kg, it can achieve a flight duration of around nine hours, making it suitable for long-endurance reconnaissance and surveillance missions. The GöKHUN’s cruising speed is between 96 and 158 km/h. The maximum range with direct line-of-sight is over 150 km, with the system reaching a service ceiling of approximately 5,500 m. ESEN, esensi.com.tr

October 2, 2025
TRX Systems awarded military contract for PNT device

Image: TRX Systems

TRX Systems has been awarded a $402 million, seven-year contract by the U.S. Army for the procurement of dismounted assured positioning, navigation, and timing system generation II systems and services (DAPS GEN II).

The TRX Systems solution to be provided under the contract, TRX DAPS II, enables dismounted maneuver operations even where GPS is compromised or denied. TRX DAPS II provides assured positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) to dismounted users by disseminating assured position and time to dependent devices in GPS-challenged environments.

TRX DAPS II fuses inputs from M-code GPS, inertial sensors, and complementary PNT sources. It is a small, lightweight PNT device that supports both standalone operation and integration with the Nett Warrior ensemble. It can also distribute PNT information to a customized tactical watch.

The TRX DAPS II solution employs a modular architecture and adheres to Army PNT interface standards, facilitating the addition of new PNT sensors as threats evolve.

TRX DAPS II will be in production for the Army later this year.

May 18, 2023
What it means to be a Gold Standard

Mitch Narins, principal consultant & owner, Strategic Synergies LLC

Recently there have been conversations within the world’s position, navigation and timing communities regarding the use of the term “Gold Standard.” Many systems aspire to be a Gold Standard, but what does this mean and how should one rightfully claim this meritorious distinction? For me, to be called a Gold Standard, a system must meet a number of hard and soft performance requirements that instill users with trust and confidence. What are these performance metrics., and how should we measure them?

I propose that for a PNT system to be a Gold Standard, it must embody and embrace three basic operational aspects in its vision, mission and goals, which drive its design, development and operation:

Requirements. First, a PNT Gold Standard system must have clear, concise, published and independent operational requirements, established through recognized and appropriate standards — that is, the PNT “promises” of accuracy, availability, integrity, continuity and coverage provided by the system are available to all users, and any changes to these “performance requirements” are communicated and implemented in a formal and transparent process.

Monitoring. Next, a PNT Gold Standard must continuously monitor the system “health” to ensure that it is meeting all of its promised requirements (accuracy, availability, integrity, continuity and coverage). The measurements and monitoring information must be available to all users so they can, with confidence, independently verify performance in support of their missions and needs.

Transparency. Finally, and most importantly, a PNT Gold Standard must not only maintain transparency during normal operations, but at the most crucial times when the PNT system is not meeting its promised performance. When “things go wrong,” user communications and constant, continuous, and reliable information flows are essential to retaining trust (that is, the measure of the system operator’s integrity). “We don’t know what happened yet, but we will let you know as soon as we do” is acceptable; saying “no comment” is not. As soon as the cause of the problem is known, it must be promptly shared, in detail, along with the schedule for restoration of normal operations. All changes that will be implemented to preclude such an occurrence in the future and all lessons learned must also be communicated openly and honestly to users.

So, what is a PNT Gold Standard? It is a system that makes operational promises based on known and controlled standards and requirements and openly shares how performance against those promises is being monitored and assured. It is a system defined by mission, values, standards and operating principles that is committed to free and open communications when promised performance is being met and when it is not. It is a system that transparently documents, communicates, investigates and reports health and status to users without delay. It is a combination of known, measured and exceptional performance provided by a system operated with open, honest, inclusive, transparent and complete communications that evoke user trust. For me, that is what it means to be a PNT Gold Standard.

October 14, 2020
US efforts pointing to coherent, resilient PNT architecture

DoT remarks follow China announcement on “comprehensive PNT”

The U.S. Department of Transportation “…is seeking the best solutions to ensure that America has a combination of PNT [positioning, navigation and timing] systems which, when used together, will be difficult to disrupt” according to remarks made at a recently concluded conference.

Diana Furchtgott-Roth

Diana Furchtgott-Roth is the department’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology. She made the comments during a keynote address at the Royal Institute of Navigation’s annual conference in Edinburgh mid-November.

Trained as an economist, Furchtgott-Roth noted that Edinburgh was the home of Adam Smith who in the 1700s referred to the efficiency of free markets as an “invisible hand” guiding economies. She regularly referred to GPS as “the invisible hand” guiding individuals, transportation, and technologies across the globe.

Citing GPS as a “one of the great and heroic systems of our times,” she also acknowledged wide and generally unconscious reliance on GPS signals, and its vulnerabilities. “A lot of the work in research and technology at the Transportation Department…assumes the existence of GPS. It assumes that GPS will continue to work, sight unseen, without interference.”

A dedicated GPS-only receiver “sounds as outdated as a pager.”

While PNT is essential now, she said, it will be even more important in the future as it becomes essential for even more safety applications.

“Public confidence in these will be critical. People will not be comfortable getting into an automated vehicle or with platooning driverless trucks heading down the highway if they think that their invisible hand is not reliable and that their GPS might be spoofed.”

As part of this, development and adoption of a wide variety of space-based, terrestrial, and self-contained navigation sensors must be deployed and widely adopted. A dedicated GPS-only receiver, she said, “sounds as outdated as a pager.”

She also echoed the theme of protecting frequencies, toughening receivers, and augmenting GPS signals as a way of achieving greater PNT resilience.

The department let a contract in November for demonstration of 11 technologies that could serve as a GPS augmentation/backup system. Furchtgott-Roth said, “This effort will inform implementation of a system that by law is required to be terrestrial, wireless, have wide area coverage, be difficult to disrupt, and be capable of expansion to provide positioning and navigation services.”

Departing from her prepared script, she added, “The Department of Transportation hopes to come to a decision by next May. Then we will get together with the Defense Department and the Department of Homeland Security and chose a technology or combination of technologies… And then we hope that our Congress will allocate funds to purchase this equipment. Our top priorities are national and economic security. We cannot have GPS be a single point of failure for transport and other critical infrastructure.”

The United States published its National PNT Architecture Study in 2008 citing the need for an integrated and resilient approach. Despite its call for use of multiple phenomenologies and an implementation plan signed several years later little has been done as of yet now.

Furchtgott-Roth’s comments came roughly a month after a Chinese representative to a Stanford symposium that here nation was developing a national “comprehensive PNT” after the fashion of what was called for in the U.S.’s 2008 study.

Her prepared remarks are available here.

December 2, 2019