DIU to fund ‘unjammable’ magnetic navigation tech

To circumvent ever-more pervasive jamming of GPS satellite signals, the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit (DUI) is launching a program to mature magnetic navigation (magnav) systems.

Such systems use instruments called magnetometers — essentially highly sensitive magnets — that detect changes in the Earth’s terrestrial magnetic field created by magnetic rocks in the outer crust. Magnav systems hold “the promise of resilient, unjammable navigation,” particularly over the oceans, according to a DIU solicitation to industry.

Magnav also is a passive technology that does not broadcast radio frequency (RF) signals that can be detected and thus attacked by adversaries, unlike space-bases systems like GPS and China’s Beidou constellation.

Read more at Breaking Defense