Resilient PNT: Assured Positioning System

Assured Positioning System (APS) provides positioning, navigation and timing information in environments where GPS or other GNSS is unavailable or unreliable. APS derives location information from ordinary communications signals transmitted from low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites. These signals-of-opportunity (SoOP) are not special position/navigation signals and are not subject to GPS/GNSS jamming or spoofing. For dismount applications, SoOP technology can be combined with IMU and barometric sensor inputs. In addition, APS is provided as a plug-in to the Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK) residing on a user smartphone.

What is Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT)?

Assured positioning, navigation and timing is a broad phrase that implies GPS is unreliable and uses other technologies to provide position, navigation and timing data.  

PNT: Positioned For Accuracy

• Independent backup and/or complement to GPS/GNSS
• Unaffected by GPS/GNSS jamming and spoofing
• Leverages Non-GPS/GNSS satellite signals of opportunity
• Military and commercial applications
• Dismount, mounted, guidance
• Hosted application for ER310 SDR; our multi-mission handheld software defined radio

Integrated Sensing From Multiple Inputs

Non-GNSS Satellite Communications Signals

• LEO commercial satellite communications transmissions

Terrestrial Signals of Opportunity (SoOP)

• Commercial broadcasting
• Mobile networks
• Sources are unaffected by GPS/GNSS jamming & spoofing

NavWeather

• Provides spectrum sensing and alarms on interference or jamming

IMU & Barometric Sensors

From Our Experts: How Assured Positioning System Could Help Avoid Threats to GPS Receivers

GPS is key to delivering precision navigation data and guidance. We believe the U.S. military should protect GPS receivers from spoofing, jamming and other attacks by adopting a technology that negates GPS reliance. Read more.

Where Can APS Be Deployed?

Peanut Software-Defined Radio

Parsons’ Peanut Software-Defined Radio (SDR) family of systems (FOS) combines high performance, versatility, and value in a space-efficient package that can host a wide range of demanding military and commercial RF applications. Peanut SDR platforms are designed to support an extensive range of use cases, including but not limited to alternative/assured PNT, RF situational awareness (SA), tactical edge applications, and complementary precision timing, to name a few. Peanut SDRs are available as an OEM circuit card or in low-SWaP-C enclosures and are equipped with processing power and I/O capability required to implement complex DoD and commercial applications and RF tasks.

Peanut-D (Dismount) Key Features

• High-performance, very-low-SWaP-C SDR
  • Body-wearable solutions
  • Expendable devices
• Supports challenging RF applications and missions
  • GPS-denied PNT
  • RF situational awareness
  • Tactical edge applications
• Size and power
  • 3” x 4” x 1” enclosure (also available without
    enclosure)
  • 8 oz.
  • 2W average power via USB 2.0 (+5v DC)
• I/O
  • 1 Rx port, (325–3800 MHz), +3v DC-biased, SMA-female
  • 2x USB 2.0, ethernet (via ext. adapter)
• IMU, barometer, real-time clock

Peanut-M (Mounted) Key Features

• High-performance, low-SWaP-C SDR
  • Small UAS deployment
  • Mounted platforms
• Supports challenging RF applications and missions
  • GPS-denied PNT
  • RF situational awareness and EW
  • Tactical edge applications
  • Precision timing backup
  • Capacity to accommodate additional signal processing
• Size and power
  • 3.5” x 4” x 2” (also available without enclosure)
  • 14 oz.
  • 6W average power via barrel plug (+8–20v DC)
• I/O
  • 2Rx, 2Tx, (70–6000 MHz), SMA-female,
    +3v DC-biased Rx
  • 10MHz and 1 PPS (in/out)
  • USB console port
  • Gigabit ethernet
• IMU, barometer, real-time clock

Peanut’s architecture dramatically minimizes the development cycle of even the most complex signal processing algorithms by reducing FPGA programming requirements and relying instead on accelerated general purpose multi-core ARM processors.

Peanut provides the processing power and I/O support required for complex RF tasks such as the following:

• Alternate PNT (non-GPS/GNSS)
• RF situational awareness
• RF emitter geolocation/tracking
• Tactical edge applications
• Passive communications receiver
• Precision timing backup for electrical grids, financial and comms networks, etc.

ER310 Software-Defined Radio

In addition, APS can be implemented on ER310. ER310 is our flexible, high-performance, handheld platform designed to host and execute challenging RF applications with demanding real-time processing and communications requirements. ER310 supports a wide scope of missions, including assured PNT (Positioning, Navigation and Timing).

*Parsons complies with all applicable Trade Compliance regulations. Some of Parsons products may require an authorization from the U.S. Government before they are exported.

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