Return to Session F3 Next Abstract

Session F3: Navigating in Challenged Environments (e.g., Urban, Indoor and Subsurface Navigation)

Self Positioning Off Targeted Anti GPS Emitters (SPOTAGE) in Live Operation
Alexander Breindel, Michael Ferguson, Joseph Ortega, NIWC Pacific
Location: Room 6-8
Date/Time: Monday, Jun. 1, 1:50 p.m.

While the Global Positioning System (GPS) is a great technology for its high positioning accuracy and global timing synchronization at a low cost to its users, it is unfortunately susceptible to emitter interferences. This work describes the land-based results from testing at the US Army’s PNT Assessment Experiment 2024 (PNTAX24) event and the at-sea test results from a live test operation off the cost of Sweden in the Baltic Sea. The SPOTAGE system was developed under the NIWC Pacific Navy Innovative Science and Engineering (NISE) rapid prototyping program for the purpose of providing an alternative positioning sensor system targeting the capability gap in low Size Weight and Power - Cost (SWaP-C) constrained platforms. The methodology used is based on using Angles of Arrival (AOAs) received by an anti-jam GPS antenna array that has Direction Finding (DF) capability. Assuming the emitter locations are not known in advance, the SPOTAGE sensor system first locates static emitters while its own position is known via GPS or using the inertial navigation solution shortly after losing GPS. After locating the emitters, SPOTAGE uses their location to reverse the positioning process to cross-fix the platform’s own position using the now known static emitter locations. The goal of these two test events was to demonstrate the SPOTAGE capability to perform at the Technology Readiness Level - 7 (TRL-7), operating in a GPS challenged environment. The successful results of these test events show SPOTAGE operating at TRL-7, which makes it a technology that is ready for transition to warfighters with support from a technology transition program sponsor. The significance of adding this new capability to the warfighters is that low SWaP-C constrained platforms can successfully complete their mission in a GPS challenged environment using the unalterable AOAs with no need to risk dependency on actual data in the emitters’ signals.

Return to Session F3 Next Abstract