Military PNT-systems
Publish date: 2025-12-19
Report number: FOI-R--5856--SE
Pages: 23
Written in: Swedish
Keywords:
- Robust PNT
- GNSS
- INS
- satellite navigation
- inertial navigation
- sensor fusion
- integrity monitoring
- MOSA.
Abstract
Military operations are expected to be conducted in environments subject to electromagnetic interference in the future. Military PNT systems therefore need to be capable of operating under GNSS jamming and spoofing attacks. Nevertheless, achieving robust PNT requires system solutions based on the integration of robust GNSS receivers and supporting sensors into a multi-sensor fusion system. The goal of this report is to report results from the activities that have been carried out within the Military PNT system project. The research questions in the project have been as follows: 1. What performance can the European satellite navigation system Galileo and the new encrypted service Galileo PRS offer, especially in environments with radio interference? 2. How should encrypted receivers for GPS M-code and Galileo PRS be integrated into the Swedish Armed Forces' future multi-sensor-based PNT system? 3. What are the opportunities and challenges of modular multi-sensor fusion systems, which have open standardized interfaces, and how should such military PNT systems be realized? 4. What methods should be used for integrity monitoring and uncertainty estimation for the various algorithms and subsystems included in future (multisensor-based) PNT systems? GPS M-code is being introduced in the Swedish Armed Forces, and knowledge about the structure of the signal and the receivers that will be used is important. FOI has begun testing of M-code receivers, and this work will continue in 2026. Galileo PRS is under construction and receivers that are relevant for military use are expected to be available within 2-3 years. The receivers that can already be purchased are an important part of building knowledge and assessing technological maturity and capability. FOI, together with the Swedish Armed Forces and MSB, has begun purchasing PRS equipment in 2025 and plan to continue discussions with manufacturers of PRS equipment in 2026. Receivers combining M-code and Galileo PRS are under development and are considered to be of great interest to the Swedish Armed Forces. Work on procurement will begin in 2026. Internationally, modular PNT systems are being developed with open standardized interfaces between sensors and subsystems. The goal of this development is for the computing core with sensor fusion algorithms and certain subsystems to be the same for most platforms, but for other subsystems and sensors to be easily replaceable and adaptable for the different platforms. To demonstrate the value of modular architecture and standardized interfaces, a live demonstration was conducted in 2025 combining various sensors and fusion engines with plug-and-play functionality. FOI participated with a sensor that provided visual odometry for positioning individual soldiers or ground-based drones (UGVs), primarily in indoor environments. It remains to be evaluated what compromises are made in terms of performance with a loosely coupled modular system compared to a more tightly integrated system. In order to achieve the desired robustness for PNT in modular systems with open standardized interfaces, good estimates of uncertainties and integrity monitoring are needed for each module in the system. Algorithms for suppressing GNSS spoofing with the support of loosely coupled INS (inertial navigation system) have been studied. The algorithms have been evaluated using simulations, but further evaluation should be done based on more realistic tests.