Saying the government must focus on “delivering an operational resilient positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) system for the UK as soon as we can,”  the British Science Minister, Lord Patrick Vallance, announced several initiatives in his opening remarks to the Royal Institute of Navigation’s UK PNT Leadership Seminar on Nov. 20.

Among them was a funding increase for the National Physical Laboratory’s National Time Centre (NTC) project, from £30 million to £62.7 million, and a plan to have NTC and the first of the nation’s new eLoran towers at initial operating capability by January of 2027.

Plans for all efforts beyond next year were necessarily caveated with “subject to spending review.”

Still, seminar attendees were gratified to hear the minister endorse the ten-point PNT policy framework published by the previous administration in 2023. It was particularly encouraging that he also committed to operationalizing it with implemented systems.

The minister did not mention the UK’s significant investment in quantum research, which was discussed later in the seminar. This research has the potential to contribute to PNT with better timekeeping and inertial and gravimetric sensing. Three quantum hubs — one each in Scotland, the Midlands and the South — are part of this effort.

Lord Vallance and Shabana Haque, Ph.D., the head of the National PNT Office, who spoke later, also mentioned two important non-technology themes.

The first theme was that the PNT office is fully funded, staffed and very active. It was created last year as a cross-government effort and included representation from the Ministry of Defence. In addition to pushing the nation’s PNT efforts forward, the office has been engaged with numerous other governments, including those of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Japan and Korea.

Secondly, the PNT initiatives are necessary for the nation’s resilience and security but will also be a source of economic benefits. This goes beyond PNT resilience, enabling Britain’s economy to function during local and potentially widespread GNSS disruption events. As the nation develops the technology stack to support its own resilient PNT architecture, along with enabling and supporting policies, devices and services will become marketable to others.

A sovereign PNT capability that can both stand independently and cooperate with GNSS is becoming increasingly attractive to many nations. Being able to source such a capability from a respected and trusted ally such as Great Britain could make acquiring and implementing such a system much easier for many.

The UK government has been working with several partners to advance its understanding and planning implementation of an eLoran capability. Haque highlighted work with the ESA’s F)!NAVISP program, resulting in the UK’s Roke developing an eLoran antenna for handheld devices. She also discussed the integration of the National Timing Centre’s clock and fiber network with eLoran signals and the development of GNSS/eLoran receivers. Of particular interest to many was an “eLoran Effectiveness Report” that the government commissioned and received from the General Lighthouse Authority’s Research and Development (GRAD) team. GRAD has had extensive experience with the technology, having operated and evaluated a differential eLoran system along Britain’s east coast for more than a year.

In a related move that helped signal the UK’s commitment to the technology, the Ministry of Defence issued a request for information (RFI) about a deployable eLoran capability in September. The RFI indicated that the document was a prelude to an acquisition.

The UK Science Minister also praised the RIN’s work and publication of a series of tools to help explain PNT and the need for resilience to those outside the community. The tools will also help organizations evaluate their readiness for GNSS disruptions.

Available from the RIN’s Resilient PNT Portal, they are:

• A PNT Explainer that outlines risks from over-dependence on GNSS and provides links to other informative resources.
• A Best Practices “placemat” describing a “Prepare, Act, Recover” framework for PNT disruptions.
• A PNT Resilience Checklist for organizations to use to self-evaluate their risk from GNSS disruptions.

The RIN recommends that PNT experts use these tools to work with customers, suppliers and partners and act as a “guiding hand.”

The RIN sees these all as a “phase 1 release.” Feedback on the tools is encouraged and should be sent to [email protected] The RIN team say they are eager to know what works, what could be improved, and to receive suggestions for other efforts.

As a “learned society,” the RIN has a significant influence on government policy and direction. Lord Vallance recognized this, saying that “the Royal Institute has played a really important role in recent years to highlight the PNT opportunity and risk, to provide expertise, and to work with government on solutions.”

The RIN’s director, John Pottle, and RIN Fellows Ramsey Faragher, Guy Buesnel and Andy Proctor were all recognized during the seminar for their contributions to the organization’s resilient PNT efforts.