USAF to develop technology to counter GPS jamming and spoofing
SandboxAQ has been awarded funding by the US Air Force (USAF) to further develop its dual-use AQNav magnetic navigation (MagNav) system.
The funding will enable SandboxAQ and collaboration partner AFWERX to explore additional configurations of the core AQNav architecture, including a pod-based attachment, for deployment on a wider range of aircraft platforms, including unmanned aerial systems.
AQNav is a breakthrough navigation technology that leverages proprietary AI Large Quantitative Models (LQMs), powerful quantum sensors, and the Earth’s crustal magnetic field to provide an unjammable, un-spoofable, all-weather, day/night, terrain-agnostic, passive, real-time navigation solution for military and commercial applications, with zero reliance on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS).
This is a key example of the application of quantitative AI – AI models that are 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 ever at the time.
“The new TACFI contract exemplifies the strong collaborative relationship we have with the USAF and the continued confidence they have in our MagNav platform,” said Luca Ferrara, General Manager of Navigation at SandboxAQ. “We are incredibly excited to expand AQNav’s capabilities and further demonstrate its ability to provide accurate navigation when GPS is unavailable or unreliable.”
“In an era of rapidly evolving technology and increasingly sophisticated adversaries, it is critical that the USAF maintain tactical air dominance in highly contested environments when adversaries employ robust GPS spoofing and targeted jamming,” said Jen Sovada, President, Global Public Sector, at SandboxAQ. “AQNav offers a highly precise and secure position and navigation solution that can withstand adversarial disruptions, making it suitable for the most demanding military applications.”
“AFWERX is expanding the MagNav capability through SandboxAQ to rapidly enable critical operations in denied environments,” said Lt Col Josh Fehd, AFWERX Autonomy Prime Branch Chief.
“The rapid development and deployment of MagNav technology is imperative for the USAF to ensure a strategic advantage over our peer adversaries, enable mission continuity, and improve the safety of our warfighters and infrastructure when facing the denial or degradation of critical GPS systems.”
