The UK is looking for a GPS alternative for military navigation

The UK Ministry of Defense has launched an initiative exploring alternatives to global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) for military navigation.

The Alternative Navigation for Weapons Systems initiative seeks to modernize GNSSs such as GPS and Galileo, which are prone to jamming and deception, said the Defense and Security Accelerator.

Must be ready by 2025

The system must be designed and tested within three years for civilian and military applications and must be at technology readiness level 4 or higher.

Moreover, it should not “care solely for GNSS” and should have the potential for further development “to meet military specifications”.

The initiative also states that the system must have sufficient accuracy to monitor position during deployment to within 5 meters (16.4 feet).

US initiatives

The US military too looking for navigation technology to overcome problems that arise in an environment prohibited by GPS.

According to Colorado-based technology firm Intermap, with which the U.S. Air Force has contracted to develop navigation solutions for GPS-denied environments, several countries are developing technologies to interfere with the GPS signal.

In addition, the U.S. Navy is working on an alternative to GPS, using muons of cosmic rays rather than GPS signals to navigate hilly terrain and other physical constraints. Muons of cosmic rays – or elementary particles – can pass any material.