OneNav introduces new L5-direct GNSS receiver in response to increased GPS jamming

OneNav introduces new L5-direct GNSS receiver in response to increased GPS jamming
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 03, 2024

oneNav, a developer of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) technology, has launched L5-direct, a GNSS product capable of directly acquiring and tracking L5-band signals. This innovation arrives amid growing concerns over Russian forces using GPS jamming techniques in Europe to impair American drones in Ukraine.

In March 2024, over 1,600 civilian aircraft in Eastern Europe experienced mysterious GPS disruptions, further underscoring the vulnerability of civilian infrastructure to such attacks. These disruptions are part of a broader pattern of GPS interference in the region attributed to Russian operations.

The significance of L5-band signals lies in their enhanced resilience against jamming and spoofing, being 6-7 times more robust than the older L1 C/A signals, which originated over half a century ago. Traditional GNSS receivers require acquisition of L1 signals before L5, but oneNav's newly developed hardware architecture, featuring a GNSS Application-Specific Array Processor (ASAP), allows for the direct acquisition of L5 signals.

An April 2024 field study conducted near the Ukrainian front confirmed the superior performance of L5 signals under conditions of frequent GPS jamming. The study revealed that while L1 signals were heavily jammed from Finland to Turkey, the L5 signals remained unaffected.

"Advances in GNSS technology give us the opportunity to better protect our economy, our critical industries, our military, and our E9-1-1 services from bad actors looking to exploit outdated L1 technology," said oneNav CEO Steve Poizner. "In addition to providing greater accuracy, L5-band signals are more resilient to jamming and interference by design. Unlike existing GNSS receivers that must first acquire old L1 signals before benefitting from advanced L5-band signals, oneNav's L5-direct acquires these modern signals without using any L1 - a gamechanger for the GNSS industry."

The L5-direct not only offers superior performance but also boasts a smaller interference radius against future L1/L2/L5 jamming transmissions. It simplifies GNSS receiver design and lowers costs by eliminating the need for two antennas and two RF receiver chains.

oneNav's silicon-proven technology is now available for evaluation and integration by chip developers