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What’s new: A discussion of PNT needed to ensure unmanned/uncrewed systems can be safely and effectively deployed.
Why it’s important:
- The most critical factor in deployment of unmanned systems domestically is gaining and keeping public trust.
- Rock-solid PNT for unmanned systems ensures the platforms, their operators, traffic management systems, security authorities know when and where they are.
- Counter UAS also needs rock-solid navigation and timing information be be able to differentiate friend from foe.
- We could go on – but you get the idea.
What else to know:
- Other nations have or are implementing rock-solid PNT. The U.S. not so much.
- Without a national resilient PNT architecture unmanned system developers and operators will likely have to choose between installing high SWAP-C PNT on their platforms or taking a chance and operating with less-than-resilient PNT.
- We understand FAA rules (current and proposed) for UAV Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BLOVS) make little to no mention of navigation integrity, PNT requirements, etc.
- We wonder if we have to wait for a serious accident with a huge loss of public trust before PNT for unmanned systems is considered.
