Honeywell Awarded U.S. Government Contracts to Develop Quantum Sensor-Based Navigation Systems

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Honeywell has been selected by the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to participate in the Transition of Quantum Sensing (TQS) program. The program aims to accelerate adoption of quantum sensors to address near-term alternative position, navigation and timing (PNT) and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) applications for the U.S. Joint Forces Command.

Honeywell has been chosen to support the TQS program under two DOD contracts: CRUISE (Compact Rubidium Unit for Inertial Sensing and Estimation) and QUEST (Quantum Enabled Sensor Technologies for MagNav).

“With the growing threat of jamming and spoofing, aircraft and naval vessels on critical missions can no longer rely solely on GPS,” said Matt Picchetti, vice president and general manager, Navigation and Sensors, Honeywell Aerospace Technologies. “Quantum sensors have the potential to augment existing navigation solutions, helping pilots operate with greater confidence. Honeywell’s pedigree in fielded sensors and navigation solutions provide us with a unique perspective to ensure the technology is viable beyond the laboratory.”

The CRUISE program, established by the DOD in partnership with Vector Atomic, will focus on developing quantum sensor-based Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) to provide a standalone navigation solution without relying on traditional Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) susceptible to jamming and spoofing. Honeywell will support the development of this quantum-sensor-based technology, which will enable the measurement of acceleration and orientation from an IMU mounted to a vehicle to calculate changes in position and velocity. As a result, it will meet next-generation performance requirements at a lower size, weight and power than existing products.

The QUEST program aims to advance the performance of magnetic anomaly aided navigation (MagNav), which is a GNSS-independent navigation technique that uses quantum magnetometers to leverage measurements of the magnetic field of the Earth as a navigation signal. Through the program, the DOD aims to improve these quantum magnetometers and demonstrate their utility in GNSS-denied flight. Building on its deep expertise in innovative navigation solutions, Honeywell’s main contribution will be to generate novel algorithms that utilize these sensors and improve navigation accuracy.

Picchetti added: “As quantum sensor-based navigation technology matures, we believe it not only has the potential to displace existing technologies but will also be a serious disruptor to the inertial and magnetic sensor industries. Most importantly, it could improve navigation in high-stakes environments – enhancing safety, efficiency and overall mission success for the DOD.”