A commercial plane with an “un-jammable” navigation system powered by quantum technology has been trialled in the UK in a world first.
Aircraft that rely on satellites and GPS for their navigation are vulnerable to “jamming or spoofing”, when the area is flooded with a signal strong enough to drown out the GPS transmission, leaving a plane unable to track its location accurately.
The government has said that the practice is “currently relatively rare”, but this month experts alleged that Russia was conducting GPS jamming in central Europe. A director at Finnair said they had received 100 reports a month, while an RAF plane carrying Grant Shapps back from Poland had its GPS signal jammed while flying close to Russian territory in March.
Grant Shapps, the defence secretary, flew on a plane that had its GPS signal jammed near Russian territory
AFP
Firms are now seeking to develop a new system of position, navigation and timing (PNT) that does not rely on satellite transmissions to produce a location.
A plane carrying the science minister, Andrew Griffith, took off from MoD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire on Thursday, fitted with quantum technology in what the government has called “a first-of-its-kind achievement” to trial a system “that cannot be jammed or spoofed by hostile actors”. The system involves using “ultracold” atoms frozen to near absolute zero, the coldest temperature possible, at 273.15C below freezing. They form part of an accelerometer, where atoms are allowed to freefall to measure the acceleration of a vehicle. Such atoms are also used to create ultra-precise clocks and gyroscopes. It marks the latest development in a centuries-long quest to find the most accurate, reliable and secure way of measuring a craft’s position on the globe. Dr Timothy Ballance, president of Infleqtion, the firm working with companies including BAE Systems and QinetiQ on the trials, said: “Our recent trials mark a significant step forward in the development of quantum PNT solutions. The work we have done directly addresses the critical need to reduce our reliance on satellite navigation systems, which are vulnerable to various risks.” Henry White of BAE Systems said: “These trials are an important step forward in developing quantum technology that could ultimately offer a significant military advantage.” Griffith said: “From passenger flights to shipping, we all depend on navigation systems that are accurate, safe and secure. The scientific research we are supporting here on quantum technology could well provide the resilience to protect our interests.” The government warned that “heavy reliance” on GPS could “create a vulnerability” because “a single point of failure like jamming or spoofing GPS signals could disrupt critical economic, defence, and strategic activities”. A spokesman for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said: “These tests are the first time that this sort of ground-breaking technology has been tested in the UK on an aircraft in flight, and the first such flights worldwide that have been publicly acknowledged.”