- The MagNav-equipped Embraer 170 flew between Seattle’s Puget Sound and southern Alaska
- Pilots received navigation data in real time through standard tablets without cockpit modifications
- MagNav uses quantum sensors to map Earth’s magnetic field as a navigation reference
The Defense Innovation Unit completed a four-hour, 23-minute flight test of its MagNav quantum navigation system without GPS, with the technology delivering an 89-percent gain in position accuracy compared with traditional backup navigation methods, the agency said Friday.
What Did the MagNav Test Show?
The MagNav-equipped Embraer 170 flew from Seattle’s Puget Sound to southern Alaska and back over the Pacific Ocean. Navigation information was sent to pilots in real time through standard tablets, allowing the system to operate without changes to cockpit instruments.
The test also examined navigation over the open ocean, where pilots have few visible landmarks to use as references.
How Does MagNav Navigate Without GPS?
MagNav uses quantum sensors to detect the Earth’s natural magnetic field and use its signatures as a navigation reference. DIU said the magnetic field cannot be spoofed or blocked by hostile forces.
The technology also addresses drift associated with conventional sensors, which can cause navigation errors to grow over time if left unchecked.
What Comes Next For MagNav?
DIU launched the program in spring 2024 under the name “Transition of Quantum Sensing.” The program includes five lines of effort, including magnetic navigation, magnetic anomaly detection, inertial sensors, gravimeters and technology insertions and component development.
Seventy-two companies applied through a commercial solutions opening, with Honeywell Aerospace selected to develop the prototype. Honeywell was selected for the effort through its Quantum Enabled Sensor Technologies, or QUEST, program, which focuses on advancing magnetic anomaly-aided navigation for GPS- or GNSS-denied environments.
DIU and Honeywell are preparing to demonstrate MagNav aboard a U.S. military C-17 Globemaster III later this year. Kyle Norman, DIU’s deputy director of the Kill Web portfolio, said the program moved from problem sourcing to solicitation and prototype development within months.
