Last year we posted about the christening of the Royal Navy’s research ship XV Patrick Blacket. (The “XV” designation refers to “experimental vessel.”) The 42-meter, 270 tonne modified crew-supply ship is intended to be a platform on which to test new technology without the need to place demands on other navy ships, many of which are deployed permanently away from UK waters.
The Royal Navy is now collaborating with the Imperial College London to test a quantum navigation system onboard the XV Patrick Blacket. The heart of the system is a newly developed quantum accelerometer capable of determining position without the use of GPS.
Many navigation systems today rely on GPS, which uses signals from satellites orbiting the Earth. However, GPS navigation is not always accessible, obstacles like tall buildings can easily block the satellite signals, and they are also susceptible to jamming, imitation, or denial, thereby preventing accurate navigation.
Self-contained satellite-free navigation systems do exist on submarines, for example. Current technologies, however, drift over time, meaning they lose accuracy unless regularly calibrated with satellites. The quantum sensor has the potential to remove this drift, significantly improving the accuracy over long timescales.
The Imperial College notes that the experiment is the first step towards understanding the application and exploitation of quantum-enabled navigation, which could provide significant navigational advantages when operating in satellite-denied areas.
Dr. Joseph Cotter, the lead scientist on the quantum sensor from the Department of Physics at Imperial, said: “Access to the Patrick Blackett provides us with a unique opportunity to take quantum sensors out of the lab and into the real-world environments, where they are needed.”
Commander Michael Hutchinson, Commanding Officer of XV Patrick Blackett, said: “Working with Imperial College London on this project has been an exciting and interesting opportunity for all of us. So far, the testing has gone well but the technology is still in its very early stages. It’s great to be a part of Royal Navy history.”
The XV Patrick Blackett is named in honor of the 1948 Nobel Prize winner Professor Lord Blackett, who was head of the Imperial College Department of Physics from 1953 to 1963.
Tall buildings blocking GPS signals at sea? whatever next!
But to be serious, if the sun sends a radiation burst our way it could play havoc with satellite communications and is far more likely to cause the navy to go back to paper charts and sextants, if they still carry them on board.
when you’re working up close to a platform (at sea), they often DO block the GPS signals.
I, too thought ships would avoid tall buildings. My favorite GPS story involves using GPS to cross the starting line of a yacht race. No matter how they adjusted the software…the vessel always fouled the start, until somebody questioned the gps antenna mounted on a railing above the transom.
And of course the Ruskies spoofing