It is of no surprise that advances in satellite navigation technologies (particularly the US GPS system) have proved to be invaluable for giving us time and position continuously, to great accuracy and anywhere in the world. Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) services and the availability of compact GNSS receiver systems have led to the widespread use of the technology and, in many cases, a near total dependency on GNSS – not just in the military arena, but also in our everyday lives.
The consequence of such dependency and ubiquity is a growing threat from adversaries who have identified advantage in denying or misleading PNT capabilities. Modern GNSS systems rely on very low power signals transmitted over great distances. This exposes the technology to a myriad of environmental challenges and ever more sophisticated threats including both unintentional, such as interference, as well as intentional threats such as jamming and spoofing.
That’s why the development of highly resilient PNT technologies is of such significance. This is particularly true for guided munitions and complex weapons and missile systems that rely on PNT to deliver precision effects at the time and place of a commanders choosing while minimising collateral damage and any risks to allied war fighters and the civilian population. Unintended consequences resulting from inaccuracy, component failure or malicious and accidental interference can be truly devastating. These weapon systems - and the components within them - must also work in very demanding environments, such as through gun launch, and are likely to encounter many years of storage before use. To meet such demands, the assurance of the design and supply chain for the GNSS receiver is, therefore, of critical importance.
QinetiQ’s high performance Q40 GNSS receiver is right at the leading edge of assured PNT capability delivering technical and operational enhancements that reflect the specific demands and priorities of both military end-users as well as the developers of advanced munitions and weapon systems.