NATO allies develop resilient alternative PNT technologies to counter GPS jamming and spoofing threats
Why It MattersThe push toward resilient, non-satellite navigation signals a structural shift in defence procurement toward multi-layered PNT architectures across NATO's technology and supply base.
Defence analysts describe a "silent failure layer" created by modern militaries' reliance on GPS and satellite-based Position, Navigation and Timing signals, which state adversaries increasingly exploit through electronic warfare, jamming and spoofing, sometimes from distances exceeding 50 miles, before affected forces realise critical hardware has failed.
Janus Allies, a delivery partner for UK Defence Innovation and NATO DIANA, has highlighted a cohort of defence-technology startups across the NATO alliance building alternative, non-satellite PNT solutions for contested electromagnetic environments. Texas-based TERN AI is developing positioning systems that operate entirely independent of satellite networks, using vehicle dynamics and sensor fusion to maintain precision when satellite links are severed. Canadian firm SDQ Solutions has built a quantum-resistant anti-spoofing system that authenticates GNSS signals and maps spoofing locations in real time, protecting autonomous systems, drones and critical infrastructure from false navigational data. Norwegian company Testnor specialises in testing related to these systems.
The founder and CEO of deeptech accelerator IoT Tribe argues that resilient, non-satellite PNT is becoming as strategically critical as firepower, and that NATO allies must move away from single-point-of-failure architectures to prevent adversaries from disabling supply chains, energy grids and front-line defence systems without firing a conventional weapon.
