Honeywell Aerospace demonstrated resilient navigation technologies during the U.S. Army’s All-Domain Persistent Experiment (APEX), evaluating assured Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) capabilities under simulated jamming and spoofing conditions affecting satellite navigation signals.
Held at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in September 2025, the testing evaluated Honeywell Aerospace technologies designed to maintain navigation performance when Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals are degraded or unavailable.
The demonstrations covered an embedded GPS/inertial navigation system (EGI), M-Code capabilities, alternative navigation technologies, and the LASEREF VI Micro Inertial Reference System (IRS).
Matt Picchetti, Vice President and General Manager of Honeywell’s Navigation and Sensors business, said, “Honeywell Aerospace products performed extremely well in the face of significant jamming and spoofing interference during a demanding series of flight tests.”
Multi-Sensor Navigation
Resilient navigation relies on multiple sources of navigation data rather than a single sensor, particularly when operating in environments affected by jamming and spoofing.
Honeywell Aerospace combines inertial navigation with GNSS when satellite signals are available and incorporates alternative navigation inputs when they are not.
Picchetti continued, “The results reinforced the conclusion that no single sensor is enough to ensure resilient navigation in the 2020s and beyond. By fusing inertial navigation with GNSS when it’s available and alternative sensors when it’s not, Honeywell Aerospace demonstrated our ability to deliver the assured positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) data the Army needs to help units maneuver, synchronize and stay combat ready.”
Honeywell Aerospace has supported the practical adoption of M-Code since the early 2020s. M-Code is the U.S. Department of Defense’s next-generation secure global positioning system, providing greater anti-jamming protection and improved resistance to spoofing for the Army and other authorized users.
An embedded GPS/inertial navigation system from Honeywell Aerospace was among the technologies demonstrated during APEX 2025. Across several flight runs, the Honeywell Aerospace EGI continued tracking GPS satellites while the test aircraft flew through highly jammed and spoofed airspace.
The flights validated the combined capability of the Honeywell Aerospace EGI and a Trimble-designed M-Code receiver in GPS-denied environments.
Honeywell Aerospace Systems Engineer Leah Powell flew along on the test flights. “It was exciting to be onboard as we helped the Army test these capabilities that our nation will depend upon,” she said. “I’m extremely proud of the work we’re doing to make a difference in our world.”
Alternative Navigation
Alternative navigation technologies complement the inherent robustness of the EGI and support military operations under severe jamming and spoofing conditions.
Inertial navigation systems determine the position, velocity, and attitude of an aircraft, but require a second, independent data source to maintain accuracy and precision over an extended period.
Honeywell Aerospace recently introduced Honeywell Alternative Navigation Architecture (HANA), a software offering that provides multi-modal navigation capabilities for military and civilian operators.
Three HANA technologies were demonstrated to Army officials during APEX: vision-aided navigation, magnetic anomaly-aided navigation, and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite navigation. Each provided navigation data to onboard systems during the testing.
Vision-Aided Navigation
Vision-aided navigation (VAN) uses onboard cameras to observe the surrounding environment and identify visual features that can be tracked, including landmarks, structures, and runways.
The VAN software compares live camera imagery with stored maps. It also uses visual odometry to analyze sequential images and estimate motion, velocity, attitude, and relative position.
Magnetic Anomaly-Aided Navigation
Magnetic anomaly-aided navigation uses subtle variations in Earth’s magnetic field as a natural reference map.
By comparing real-time magnetic measurements with known magnetic signatures, navigation systems can estimate aircraft position. The technology provides a passive, globally available aiding source that can complement the INS, particularly over land and maritime environments.
LEO Satellite Navigation
LEO satellite navigation receives signals from low-altitude satellite constellations that are typically stronger and more difficult to jam than conventional GNSS signals.
These LEO-based signals can provide an additional ranging and timing source, helping maintain navigation performance when conventional satellite signals are degraded or unavailable.
Detecting GNSS Interference
Honeywell Aerospace also used APEX 2025 to test and demonstrate the LASEREF VI Micro Inertial Reference System.
LASEREF VI incorporates algorithms capable of detecting and mitigating GNSS interference. The system addresses increased instances of jamming and spoofing experienced by civilian aircraft operating near conflict airspace, including airspace near the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel.
During APEX, LASEREF VI detected jamming before GNSS signals were lost.
The APEX demonstrations included secure GPS, inertial systems, and alternative navigation sources intended to support resilient navigation as signal availability changes.
“Resilient navigation is an unshakeable requirement for both military and civilian operations going forward,” Picchetti concluded. “The suite of navigation products successfully tested at the Army 2025 APEX event demonstrates how far we have come in developing the navigation capabilities that will help shape the future of flight.”
