Jamming and spoofing continue to be the key challenges to military use of GNSS. While the production and adoption of M-Code receivers is delayed, defense contractors are developing several approaches to identify, locate and neutralize these threats — including CRPA antennas, embedded GPS inertial (EGI) navigators, software-defined radios and cryptography.
In this month’s cover story, executives from seven companies present their perspectives on the GNSS/PNT challenges faced by U.S. and allied military forces, their market niche in this area, and their latest products. Ntp Antenna
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Photo: Petty Officer 1st Class Thomas Gooley
CAST Navigation A top challenge is anti-jamming. GPS signals are low-power and fairly easy to jam. CAST has developed a simulator for testing controlled reception pattern antennas (CRPAs), which are anti-jam antennas. CAST simulators can test CRPAs with two to seven antenna elements. Another top challenge is preventing our enemies from using GPS in a war zone. M-Code Modernized Navstar Security Algorithm (MNSA) has been designed to support denial of GPS signals to enemy forces. CAST has developed the ability to simulate M-Code MNSA. The company is working closely with the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command’s GPS Directorate to develop a simulator that supports all their requirements.
Hexagon Jamming is the key challenge. The secondary challenge is getting necessary protection into fielded systems so they can be used to the full extent of their service life. Over the next three to five years, while new products designed to safeguard PNT infrastructure will emerge, the process of getting these tools authorized and integrated will remain complex.
Per Vices Corporation GNSS signals can be disrupted or manipulated by adversaries through jamming techniques, leading to potential navigational errors or loss of positioning capabilities. Advanced spoofing techniques also pose significant challenges to GNSS/PNT for U.S. and allied military forces, as they can deceive receivers into providing inaccurate positioning, navigation, and timing information. Both can be addressed with the integration of software-defined radios (SDR) for GNSS/PNT applications where we anticipate a strong push to further advance the different anti-jamming and anti-spoofing techniques in software using high-performance SDR platforms.
Safran Federal Systems GNSS denial and spoofing. Both challenges are expected to become more pervasive over the coming years as adversarial technologies evolve and are distributed. In the current conflict, systems are driving to become either assured GNSS or built to operate independently of GNSS clock and position information.
Spirent Federal Systems Adversarial near-peer threats to PNT integrity are developing at an increasingly rapid pace. Navigation warfare (NAVWAR) used to focus within the boundaries of localized geopolitical conflicts, but now space-based, system-wide threats loom large and will present new challenges in the coming years. As PNT continues to evolve, more complex mitigation technologies must be integrated into a layered PNT ecosystem with shortened development and testing phases to be fielded faster.
Syntony It is not a secret that jamming and spoofing will be the biggest challenges in the coming years: Almost every week, if not every day, we read some news about jammed or spoofed GNSS receivers, either in Eastern Europe or elsewhere. Technology exists to protect against both threats: authentication, cryptography and CRPA. However, you cannot deliver an M-Code or PRS receiver to every soldier and every vehicle, if for no other reason than the difficulty of broadcasting the keys. The solution will pass by an intermediate level of anti-jamming and anti-spoofing receivers, which do not need them, associated to moderate prices and lighter infrastructure so that everybody and every vehicle can be protected.
For industry, it will pass through the generalization of CRPA architecture for the receivers, even for non-encrypted signals, and even with lower efficiency levels (update rate, J/S, etc.) corresponding to low dynamic movement.
senior software engineer Neil O’Brien utilizing a CAST-8000 GNSS simulator to analyze CRPA trajectory data. (Photo: CAST Navigation)
CAST Navigation We are known for correctly interfacing with the military’s embedded GPS inertial (EGI) navigators.
Hexagon We have carved out a distinctive position in the military APNT sector. We provide receivers that give users access to the entire GNSS spectrum, fortified by our unique GNSS Resilience and Integrity Technology (GRIT). Hexagon also produces anti-jam antennas designed to safeguard GNSS receivers, offering our customers tested protection in hostile environments.
Per Vices Corporation We design, develop, and build high performance software-defined radio platforms and associated firmware/software for use in GNSS/PNT systems. This includes the use of SDRs for simulating hostile RF environments to test existing equipment, providing anti-jamming and anti-spoofing solutions, implementing dynamic frequency hopping, and signal authentication and integrity verification.
Safran Federal Systems We are uniquely positioned to fulfill solutions to GNSS denial and spoofing through our precision timing, assured GNSS (M-Code/SAASM) and inertial navigation technologies. Additionally, we have these technologies often combined in different form factors to serve platform needs. When planning for missions, we offer our customers a full suite of mission simulation capabilities expediting the fielding of technologies by assuring functionality in a lab environment.
Spirent Federal Systems We find our niche in partnering with industry and military institutions to provide innovative test solutions. Spirent NAVWAR test solutions enable PNT receivers to mitigate the effects of current and prospective threats. This involves new secure encrypted signals, space-based assets in a variety of orbital configurations, antenna and processing techniques, non-U.S. PNT systems, and non-satellite sensors to name a few. Research into potentially useful PNT systems is also efficiently conducted using simulation techniques — without the need to develop and iterate expensive hardware. Working with industry and military partners allows Spirent Federal to engage at the earliest stages of research and development, allowing system integrators to benefit from the same test methodologies used by the developers.
Cerber CRPA receiver with four-channel antenna and Constellator CRPA simulator. (Photo: Syntony)
Syntony We have developed two technologies aiming at addressing this problem: a high-end CRPA receiver based on non-encrypted GPS/Galileo signals bringing state-of-the-art anti-jamming capabilities and anti-spoofing ones even with open signals, and the same for high-end 4 CRPA simulators with up to 8 channels. We developed the latter with the U.S. company Keysight and will demonstrate it at ION Joint Navigation Conference (JNC) 2024.
CAST Navigation We have merged the EGI test capability with a CRPA tester. This allows testing an EGI that is driven by a CRPA in a jamming environment. This simulator also will be available with M-Code MNSA in the future.
a hexagon gajt in action on a U.S. Army M1A2 Abrams tank. (Photo: Sgt. Andrew Greenwood)
Hexagon GPS Anti-Jam Technology (GAJT) antennas from Hexagon’s Autonomy & Positioning division mitigate against jammers to ensure the continuous signals required for calculating position and time remain available. GAJT is a commercial off-the-shelf product, which ensures short-order lead times and quick deployment. GAJT antennas from Hexagon can protect against between two and six simultaneous jammers. In addition to protection, they provide situational awareness messages to indicate the presence of jammers.
Our upcoming product in this area is an anti-jam antenna characterized by its low size, weight, power and cost (SWaP-C). It will protect L1/L2 and pass through all other GNSS signals to ensure resilient positioning. This addition to the battle-tested GAJT product family means that powerful, proven anti-jam protection will be available for all platforms, including UAVs. GAJTs provide assured and resilient PNT data for NATO forces worldwide on land, at sea and in the air.
PER vices cyan software-defined radio for GNSS/PNT applications. (Photo: Per Vices)
Per Vices Corporation Our latest product in this area is our Cyan SDR, which offers up to 16 radio chains, tuning frequency spanning all GNSS/PNT frequency bands (near DC to 18 GHz), a high performance FPGA SoC on-board (Intel/Altera Stratix 10), and multiple inputs and outputs for timing and synchronization with other equipment. This system has been utilized for many applications in this space due to its flexibility, performance, form factor (19″ 3U), and value.
SAFran federal systems’ Geonyx inertial navigation solution, which can be integrated with VersaPNT, Safran’s all-in-one Assured PNT device. (Photo: Safran Federal Systems)
Safran Federal Systems Safran’s Versa-PNT product coupled with a Geonyx inertial navigator offers rubidium oscillator precision timing, M-Code receiver and navigation-grade inertial technology, all in a package that can support land or maritime operations. More specifically, this package delivers:
Spirent Federal Systems The PNT X is Spirent’s innovative sixth-generation simulation platform, which launched at the end of April and will debut at the ION JNC 2024 in June. PNT X offers a new era in NAVWAR testing, with a record 140 dB high dynamic range to simulate high-powered jammers and spoofers. It offers a 2,000+ Hz update rate for a highly accurate representation of the motion of missiles, rockets, and UAVs, thereby guaranteeing the integrity of test results. The platform includes spatial awareness simulation for jammers and signals of opportunity, overlaying motion on user-defined signals and jammers alongside the simulation of the local environment and terrain.
The PNT X uses Spirent’s custom-built software-defined radios to extend capacity, automation and ease of use for testing current and future PNT sources. Designed for secure environments, the simulation solution features the first M-Code Regional Military Protection (RMP) test capability. Spirent experts are available to assist with generating test scenarios and capitalizing on new automation and interoperability features.
Syntony The CRPA simulator that we will market together with Keysight will support all available GNSS signals and carrier frequencies. It also will be expandable by a software upgrade to LEO PNT in the near future. With typically four or eight channels,130dB of J/S, and based on the unique generator of Keysight VXG-C (2.5 Ghz instantaneous bandwidth, providing high-level phase synchronization all along the band), it will generate all the GNSS signals in L and S bands through one RF channel, bringing unrivaled performance and ease of calibration.
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