Pat Host 
- Russian spoofing and jamming of GPS signals is causing the U.S. to lose trust in the technology
- The Pentagon has a number of initiatives to evaluate advancements in quantum for navigation capabilities
- Hear from top federal officials and industry experts during a quantum panel discussion at the 2026 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 29!
The U.S. and allies are searching for novel ways to navigate. Russia is spoofing and jamming Global Positioning System signals in Ukraine, where satellite navigation can’t be relied upon. GPS interference by armed forces is also negatively impacting commercial aircraft.
Could quantum physics be the answer? The Department of War thinks so.
The DOW in August unveiled a research and development effort to bolster quantum sensors, according to the Wall Street Journal. GPS signals are usually weak and simple to block. The DOW and scientists across the world are investigating whether leveraging the quantum properties of atoms can help aircraft better navigate in combat.
Let’s dig into five advancements in quantum as the DOW and scientists investigate the use of quantum physics as a reliable alternative to GPS in contested environments.
Discover the latest business opportunities in quantum at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 29! Hear directly from top federal officials and industry experts during the Securing the Quantum Edge: Advancing U.S. Leadership as a National Security Imperative panel discussion. Secure your seat today!
What Are Some Pentagon Quantum Navigation Efforts?
1. SandboxAQ Contract With DOW
SandboxAQ believes improved use of magnetic navigation could help the DOW operate in GPS-denied realms. The Defense Innovation Unit in November signed an agreement with the company to test its AQNav software on a variety of DOW aircraft, Defense One reported.
Luca Ferrara, SandboxAQ general manager for AQNav, said that the agreement and new technological advancements have laid the groundwork for fast development in magnetic navigation. High-tech, but pricy, quantum sensors can take in data from magnetic fields more accurately than compasses.
The variety of magnetic fields by the Earth’s crust, which gives them navigational utility, also means quantum sensors can also perform better in some places than others.
2. X-37B Space Mission
The Pentagon is experimenting with quantum navigation in space. The DOW in August launched its latest X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle mission with a quantum sensor that might provide navigation when GPS is inaccessible, according to Breaking Defense.
“[This] is a welcome step forward for operational resilience in space,” Space Delta 9 Commander Col. Ramsey Horn said. “Whether navigating beyond Earth-based orbits in cislunar space or operating in GPS-denied environments, quantum inertial sensing allows for robust navigation capabilities when GPS navigation is not possible.”
Quantum sensors used for position, navigation and timing leverage atomic accelerometers that evaluate rotation and acceleration by deploying lasers into tiny clusters of atoms contained in vacuum chambers. The challenging part is ensuring the sensors are reduced in size and strong enough so they can be used on aircraft, satellites, ships and on humans.
Are you a defense technology executive? You can’t afford to miss the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Defense R&D Summit on Jan. 29, it’s curated just for you! Strike up collaborations with other GovCon titans and score that big contract in FY 2026. Have the valuable face-to-face conversations only possible at live events. Buy your ticket for this elite GovCon event today!
3. Next-Generation Quantum Optical Clocks
Optical clocks could provide positional accuracy down to a centimeter when GPS is unavailable, according to a June report from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Center for Global Security Research.
Vector Atomic has been experimenting with a variety of quantum sensors for PNT uses. The company tested optical clock prototypes at the prestigious RIMPAC exercise in mid-2022.
During this exercise, three shoebox-sized, rack-deployed timepieces were put out to sea aboard a ship. They operated for 20 days with less than 0.3 nanoseconds of drift per day, 10-times better than Rubidium atomic clocks.
Vector Atomic has installed several upgrades to provide greater accuracy and size, weight and power. The firm hopes that models of its device could be used instead of Rubidium clocks aboard GPS spacecraft.
4. DARPA’s RoQS Program
DOW’s research and development division has its own quantum navigation efforts underway. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in September awarded Q-CTRL two contracts under its Robust Quantum Sensors, or RoQS, program to evaluate the company’s quantum sensing capabilities on demanding military vehicles, SatNews reported.
Q-CTRL is using quantum sensors augmented by AI-powered software ruggedization in trials. This technology allows the sensors to reliably operate on moving defense vehicles in demanding real-world environments, without requiring the usual isolation or shielding. Lockheed Martin is joining Q-CTRL as a subcontractor on one part of the RoQS program.
5. DIU’s Transition of Quantum Sensing
DIU has another quantum navigation effort underway. DIU’s Transition of Quantum Sensing, or TQM, program is demonstrating the combat applicability of quantum sensors to improve anomaly detection and PNT, DIU announced in March.
DIU, in the first 12 month phase of TQS, anticipated having more than 10 field experiments of quantum sensing properties in combat environments such as ground, maritime and air. TQS was designed around five inter-related divisions seeking improvements in strategic areas while also expanding operational capabilities lacking equivalents.
One division of TQS is quantum magnetic sensing for anomaly detection and navigation. Compact atomic, or solid state, magnetometers that perform at ambient temperatures are great for military use.
This is because very specific measurements of small variations in the magnetic environment provide important mission information. Quantum magnetometers, additionally, can be created leveraging the nuclear spin of spin-polarized atomic gases.
