Royal Navy to Develop GPS-Free Quantum Navigation
The UK's military technology agency is working on a quantum navigation device.
It will be an inertial navigation system with GPS-like accuracy for vessels at sea without relying on external signals.
Shipping relies on GPS, but it could be impaired during a solar flare event or a deliberate anti-satellite attack.
Military operators rely on inertial navigation technology to supplement GPS, particularly for mission-critical applications.
Submarines, aircraft, and cruise missiles use inertial guidance to offset the known vulnerabilities of GPS systems.
Quantum navigation uses Quantum accelerometers, which are more precise than the gyros used in inertial guidance.
UK defence researchers say that if developed for operational readiness, it could one day provide GPS-free navigation.
Developed by Imperial College Rearchers in 2018, the quantum sensor uses a laser to measure the wave-like properties of ultracold atoms in a chamber.
As the ship moves, the chamber moves, and the atoms inside have to move with it.
Laser pulses track the movement of the atoms, and the data yields a precise record of the ship's accelerations.
The Imperial quantum sensor was tested aboard the Royal Navy research vessel XV Patrick Blackett in 2023.