QinetiQ wins £67m deal for secure satellite navigation receivers
The project, under the UK Robust Global Navigation System (R-GNS) programme, aims to provide accurate and resilient positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) for military operations around the world using the Galileo satellite contellation as well as GPS and the Russian and Chinese networks.
QinetiQ will use its advanced processing technologies for secured navigation for use by individuals and platforms including autonomous land, maritime and air systems such as drones. It is working with Collins Aerospace and sub-contractors Roke Manor Research, Raytheon Systems, Nottingham Scientific and Phixos to design and make the satellite receivers in the UK and free of the US ITAR technology restrictions.
“After years of QinetiQ R&D and collaboration with the EU, European Space Agency (ESA) and UK government, we have achieved this major step towards our goal of offering robust navigation products using Galileo,” said Dr Nigel Davies, head of QinetiQ’s Secured Navigation Group. “It is a significant breakthrough for us to have built a fully operational receiver on a platform which proves our product architecture, functionality, and algorithms. Our next step will be working to refine the product family and preparing it to be brought to market, which includes developing additional features and reducing its size to that of a postage stamp, in a form factor similar to our existing, highly successful, Q20 receiver. We have full confidence in this product and are proud to be at the forefront of this exciting new phase in European navigation.”
The delivery date for the first R-GNS satellite receivers is February 2022.
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