Military and Defense Solutions

In an era of rising threats to GNSS—from jamming and spoofing to complex RF interference—Controlled Reception Pattern Antennas (CRPAs) have become essential tools in the pursuit of resilient PNT (Positioning, Navigation and Timing). Utilizing multiple antenna elements in concert, CRPAs and other array antennas are able to determine angle of arrival to focus antenna gain towards genuine satellite signals and steer nulls towards sources of interference, reducing the effectiveness of these increasingly-common attack vectors. This on-demand webinar brings together international experts from Spirent, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Hexagon, and Thales Alenia Space to explore how CRPA technology is evolving—and how it's being tested, simulated, and deployed to meet today’s toughest challenges in GNSS resilience.

Testing Controlled Reception Pattern Antennas (CRPAs) and other advanced GNSS antenna designs is crucial as anti-jamming and anti-spoofing capabilities become essential for mission-critical GNSS receivers and systems. The threats of signal jamming and spoofing are on the rise, both from civilian sources and as electronic warfare methods deployed by nation states. Adaptive antennas, originally developed for military use, are now increasingly used in commercial applications such as surveying, mining, and autonomous vehicles.

The reliance on GNSS signals for positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) has made radio frequency (RF) interference from signal jamming a growing threat across various industries. Whether intentional or unintentional, jamming can significantly impact the performance of GNSS receivers, including those used for safety-critical and liability-critical operations. Therefore, developers and integrators of GNSS receivers must understand the risks presented by jamming and implement mitigation measures to protect the receivers and their users.

*A Spirent white paper for developers and integrators of GNSS receivers* No longer the preserve of powerful state actors, spoofing is a growing threat for GNSS-enabled equipment. Understanding how spoofing works and how to mitigate the potential impact of an attack is a key concern for developers of both commercial and military/government applications.

The use of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) is expanding across various industries, but with it comes an increasing threat of GNSS jamming and spoofing. Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Germany's research center for aeronautics and space, recognized the need to develop anti-jam and anti-spoof technology to protect critical applications like commercial aviation, shipping, and autonomous vehicles. DLR developed GALANT, an advanced system that uses nulling and beamforming to counter interference.

Modern vehicles, whether autonomous or assisted, heavily rely on precise positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) information for safety, efficiency, and mission-critical tasks. GNSS technology has evolved to meet these demands, offering a variety of hardware and services options, including multi-constellation and multi-frequency receivers, terrestrial and space-based augmentation systems, and complex array antennas. However, the inclusion of additional PNT sensors working together with GNSS has become increasingly important for seamless and reliable performance.