Universal Software-Defined Receiver for Assured Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT)

The Universal Software Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing (USAPNT) technology enhances the PNT resiliency in contested signal environments by augmenting GPS receiver architecture with multiple Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and radio-frequency signals of opportunity (SOOP). The USAPNT Phase I and Phase II efforts have used field data to demonstrate that the incorporation of multi-GNSS (such as GLONASS and Galileo) and SOOP (such as cellular and digital television) significantly enhances signal availability, thus robustifying the PNT performance in GPS-challenged environments. A critical step for USAPNT transitioning to Army PNT systems is to protect open-service multi-GNSS and SOOP signals against malicious acts such as spoofing. The proposed sequential Phase II (SP2) effort will augment the Phase II implementation with a signal assurance mechanism. USAPNT has been developed and prototyped as an agile software-defined radio (SDR). The prototyping effort has been performed jointly with our transitioning partner, Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (NGSC), using their software-defined embedded GPS/Inertial (EGI) cards. During SP2, a key technological enabler of signal assurance mechanism (chip-shape correlator) will be implemented on the NGSC embedded prototyping card. This will facilitate technology transitioning via a zero SWAP-C software insertion of USAPNT into NGSC navigation products.