QinetiQ-led Team Elaris has been awarded a £6 million contract with the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) to develop a deployable solution concept for enhanced Long-Range Navigation (eLoran).
Work completed under the two-year Urgent Compass programme will be used to inform future demonstration, production and deployment packages of work.
The UK and its allies rely heavily on position, navigation and timing (PNT) for effective military operations. PNT solutions traditionally use global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals, but these can be jammed or spoofed by adversaries in battlefield environments. A jammed or spoofed satellite navigation signal, if undetected or uncorrected, can result in misdirected troop movements or incorrectly guided missile trajectories, leading to mission failure in the battlefield arena.
Militaries are increasingly looking for alternative, more resilient PNT solutions to enhance and complement traditional GNSS, such as eLoran which is a terrestrially based alternative and can operate when access to satellite PNT is denied. This programme extends QinetiQ’s engagement with MOD on assured PNT solutions which includes the Robust Global Navigation System (RGNS) programme – another key component in UK MOD’s approach to resilient PNT. Urgent Compass will explore eLoran based solutions that can be quickly deployed into contested locations worldwide.
Team Elaris is made up of QinetiQ, UrsaNav®, Roke and GMV. Each organisation brings technical knowledge and domain expertise in PNT technologies to the partnership, which is exploring both deployable and fixed eLoran solutions.
Luke Pollard MP, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, said:
“In this new era of threat we are in constant confrontation with adversaries seeking to interfere with our military networks, which are essential to how a military operates in modern warfare. This investment will boost our Armed Forces’ resilience on the battlefield by developing technology to protect them, ensuring that they can continue vital operations protecting UK citizens and allies around the world.
“This contract catalysing private investment is our Defence Industrial Strategy in action. We are backing innovative technology companies, boosting defence skills and strengthening supply chains, making defence an engine for growth across the UK.”
Steve Wadey, Group CEO, QinetiQ, said: “This award brings together Team Elaris’ decades of advanced navigation experience and builds on existing work to deliver Alternative Navigation solutions.
“Our expertise in eLoran systems will support the UK Government’s requirements for resilient position, navigation and timing capabilities to help protect the UK from adversaries seeking to undermine this critical service.”