Ground Control has introduced RockBLOCK APNT, a compact board that provides an independent source of positioning and timing information for Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Uncrewed Surface Vehicles (USVs), and other autonomous platforms.
Designed for integration by manufacturers, the board offers an alternative to relying solely on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS).
During controlled GNSS spoofing tests at Jammertest 2026, the GNSS position began to deviate from the vehicle’s known route, while the Iridium-derived position remained stable. The discrepancy between the two positioning sources became detectable within one second, with RockBLOCK APNT continuing to provide valid Iridium Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) updates throughout the test without any loss of service.
The board provides developers and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) with direct access to Iridium PNT, supplying positioning information and precise UTC-referenced timing for use alongside GNSS and other navigation inputs. Iridium PNT is designed to address both jamming and spoofing, with a signal approximately 1,000 times stronger than standard GPS/GNSS signals to provide resilience against jamming. Authenticated and cryptographically protected signals also provide a spoof-resistant alternative source of positioning information.
Alastair MacLeod, CEO of Ground Control, commented, “GNSS is fundamental to autonomous systems, but dependence on a single source of position creates a vulnerability. For UAV and USV manufacturers, the critical questions are how quickly a problem can be identified, whether an independent position source remains available, and how confidently that information can be incorporated into the vehicle’s own decision-making. RockBLOCK APNT gives manufacturers that additional source of position and timing, without prescribing how they use it.”
RockBLOCK APNT follows Ground Control’s development of RockFLEET Assured, a complete maritime Assured Position, Navigation and Timing (A-PNT) system already being used by merchant vessels in GNSS-contested areas of the Middle East. While RockFLEET Assured is designed as a complete maritime system, the new board packages the Iridium PNT Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) for integration into UAVs, USVs, robotics, and other autonomous platforms.
RockBLOCK APNT measures 59 × 36.5 × 7.7 mm and weighs 10 g. For initial evaluation, it can be powered and connected via USB-C and is supplied with an approved antenna to provide developers with a known-good Radio Frequency (RF) setup. For embedded integration, the board can operate from a 3.3 V power supply and provides Low-Voltage Transistor-Transistor Logic (LVTTL) UART, alongside SPI, I²C, UART, and GPIO interfaces.
As a receive-only device without its own GNSS receiver, RockBLOCK APNT passes Iridium PNT information to the host system. Manufacturers can use this data to compare positioning sources, monitor GNSS integrity, trigger alerts, or incorporate it into their own fallback logic.
