A Royal Navy experimental technology team has been trialling linked quantum clocks and maritime radars to aid navigation and thwart spoofing and jamming in electronically contested environments.
The RN’s Disruptive Capabilities and Technologies Office (DCTO) has been experimenting with using the highly accurate timing from Aquark Technologies’ AQlock to synchronise distributed signals from Saab Giraffe 1X radars.
Also involved was the Portsdown Hill radar facility in Portsmouth, Qinetiq’s shore-based integration and testing facility for naval combat systems, radar, and maritime communications.
As per a RN press statement, Royal Navy experimentation ship XV Patrick Blackett and DSTL were used as network rebroadcast nodes during the tests, designed to explore the benefits of combining these technologies.
It noted: “The trials then mimicked spoofing or jamming of navigation systems which can be vulnerable to outside tampering. The Giraffe 1X radar operators, using a network spanning several pieces of software and hardware, were able to observe these manipulations of their system including deliberate misalignment of timestamps.”
Timing Lead at Aquark Matthew Aldous commented: “This trial is a milestone in the development of U.K. sovereign quantum technology and a U.K. first-of-its-kind military application of a U.K. atomic clock.
“It’s the first known time that a pair of British built cold atom systems has been deployed in answer to a genuine defence challenge, and we’re very proud to work with Saab and the Royal Navy in this way.”
And Group MD at Saab U.K. Andy Fraser added: “This trial is a great example of how collaboration can accelerate innovation. By combining quantum timing technology with Saab’s advanced Giraffe 1X radar system, we have demonstrated a practical capability that could help customers continue to operate effectively when it matters most.”
The latest tests build on AQlock trials held in June last year aboard RN P2000 patrol vessels to validate the system’s resilience and functionality at sea.
- You can read more details on the Royal Navy website
