Elsight Introduces Cellular-Based GPS-Independent Positioning for Drones at AUSA 2026
Why It MattersGPS jamming and spoofing are pushing uncrewed-system makers to add cellular-based positioning as a software layer on existing communications hardware, rather than relying on satellite navigation alone.
Elsight has introduced a GPS-independent Positioning capability that provides geolocation for drones and other autonomous systems operating in GNSS-denied, GPS-jammed and GPS-spoofed environments. The company is presenting it at AUSA 2026. The technology combines patented cellular-based positioning with multi-source sensor fusion to determine a platform's location without relying exclusively on satellite navigation, and it is integrated into Elsight's Halo mission-enablement platform for air, land and maritime operations.
The system calculates position from cellular network measurements and is designed to provide an absolute geographic position, rather than estimating movement relative to a previously known location. Elsight says it can use available cellular networks regardless of their ownership or origin. The fusion engine draws on Cellular Timing Advance measurements, signals from surrounding cellular base stations, GPS data when verified as reliable, motion vectors and velocity information, and adjusts as sources become available or unavailable. It also includes active GPS spoofing detection: it continuously compares GPS-derived location with estimates calculated from cellular measurements and generates an alert when the two diverge beyond a defined threshold. Elsight CEO Yoav Amitai said GPS has become a critical vulnerability in contested environments and that the product removes that dependency for uncrewed systems.
Halo provides resilient communications for uncrewed systems operating beyond visual line of sight by bonding cellular, satellite and radio-frequency links. Elsight says existing Halo customers can access Positioning through a software or feature unlock without installing additional hardware, and that Halo has accumulated more than 500,000 operational hours across more than 100 active customers, including in high-intensity combat conditions, and is listed on the DCMA Blue List. The system is designed to function without GPS, internet access, visual references or an active communications link, although it relies on usable cellular radio measurements or other available inputs.
