Airlines in Middle East to test GPS alternatives as 'jamming' risk hits navigation

SandboxAQ's AQNav system uses Earth's magnetic field in same way as migrating birds to plot course

SandboxAQ and Airbus company Acubed recently completed 'rigorous real-world testing' of AQNav. Image: Acubed

Airlines and governments in the Middle East have been invited to take part in the ongoing testing of a new navigation technology that some experts say is significantly more reliable than Global Positioning Satellite systems.

SandboxAQ, a developer of products involving quantum technology and artificial intelligence, recently heralded the “commercially available prototype” of the technology they're calling AQNav.

This comes as GPS, the standard navigation system around the world, has become a victim of its own success, and is increasingly vulnerable to GPS jamming which can renders the navigation assistance unusable.

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GPS jamming − also known as GPS spoofing − became a prominent problem in June during the air war between Israel and Iran.

Smartphone users across the Middle East reported anomalies with their GPS locations, which were wildly inaccurate.

GPS has gained immense popularity thanks to the ease it can be incorporated into technology. But this ubiquity is becoming a growing vulnerability.

SandboxAQ recently announced that Acubed, an Airbus company, completed what they're describing as “rigorous real-world testing” of the touted GPS alternative, AQNav, which uses the magnetic field of the Earth along with quantum sensors that pick up the magnetic signals with the help of special AI software.

In June, during the Israel-Iran war, incorrect GPS locations and automatic switches to Iran's time zone affected many people's smartphones in the Middle East. Photo: GPSJam.org

Tests lasted five months and involved more than 100 flights that took place across “diverse geographies and conditions”.

According to SandboxAQ and Acubed, the test results show that AQNav “consistently beat” the US Federal Aviation Administration's en route navigation standards.

“Pilots need to be able to trust their navigation systems,” Luca Ferrara, general manager for SandboxAQ's navigation business unit, told The National.

“When they can trust it, they're less stressed, they have less of a cognitive workload and they don't have worry about dealing with GPS loss,” he explained.

The tests of the SandboxAQ technology lasted for five months and involved more than 100 flights that took place across 'diverse geographies and conditions' in the US. Image: SandboxAQ

SandboxAQ says that AQNav is rooted in and inspired by nature, and utilises the Earth's magnetic field, similar to how birds and other animals use it to navigate.

That approach, combined with Sandbox AQ's proprietary AI software and use of hardware, gives it significantly more resilience and reliability compared to GPS, Mr Ferrara said.

SandboxAQ also points out that unlike GPS, it doesn't connect to the internet, cloud or satellites.

In the recent tests from Acubed, AQNav logged more than 44,000km, “surpassing the Earth’s circumference, without relying on GPS”.

Mr Ferrara said more testing will now take place with hopes of eventually readying the system to be used on commercial airlines.

SandboxAQ hopes to gain more insight into how to best position the magnetic censors used by the system on various aircraft, along with other details.

Testing will help establish whether users would transfer navigation data to an existing computer on the plane, or a separate computer not connected to the internet or any network on board. This system is known as air-gapping, which is broadly viewed as more secure.

“Do we want it to pipe the data into the flight management computer or do we want it to go in an air-gapped way?” asked Mr Ferrara.

He said Sandbox AQ currently has contracts with the US Air Force, and he expects the new navigation technology to first be adopted by defence and national security agencies, and then commercial entities.

AQNav is SandboxAQ’s dual-use magnetic navigation system for Assured Positioning Navigation and Timing Image: APNT

Through more testing, followed by a “constructive dialogue” with aviation regulators around the world, Mr Ferrara said there's hope that commercial airlines will also be able to implement the system.

Given the Middle East's increasingly strong presence in commercial aviation, with countries like the UAE playing a crucial role with international travel, it makes sense to push for testing among the region's airlines.

“We're looking for forward-leaning partners in the aerospace sector within the Gulf region to collaborate with,” Mr Ferrara said.

He said the company is in discussions with several companies, and hopes to continue with those efforts given the Middle East's tourism footprint and globally recognised airline brands.