ALLEN, Texas - Elsight has introduced a positioning capability for uncrewed aircraft, ground vehicles, and maritime platforms operating where global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals are unavailable, jammed, or spoofed.

The Positioning capability uses a patented cellular-based technique to determine a platform’s geographic location from cellular network measurements. The system provides absolute geolocation rather than relying solely on relative navigation, which estimates movement from a known starting point and can accumulate position error over time.

A multi-source fusion engine combines available cellular Timing Advance (TA) measurements, signals from surrounding cellular base stations, GPS data when verified as reliable, and motion and velocity vectors. The engine continuously incorporates available inputs and adapts as signal availability changes, Elsight says. During normal operations, the system uses GPS by default and relies on cellular positioning when GPS is unavailable, adding another location source for missions in contested environments.

An eye on spoofing attempts

The capability also incorporates active GPS spoofing detection. It compares GPS-derived location data with cellular-based position estimates in real time and automatically alerts operators when the two diverge beyond a specified threshold. The approach aims to identify potentially manipulated GPS data that could otherwise mislead an uncrewed platform’s navigation system.

Because it derives position from cellular network measurements rather than relying exclusively on satellite signals, the technology offers an alternative source of geolocation when GNSS is disrupted. Elsight says the capability can operate without GPS, internet access, visual references, or an active communications link, including in darkness, at sea, and in conflict zones.

Positioning is integrated into Elsight’s Halo mission-enablement platform, which combines cellular, satellite, and radio-frequency (RF) communications into a resilient connectivity layer for beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations. Halo supports uncrewed operations across air, land, and maritime domains and selects the best available communications path. Existing Halo customers can activate the positioning capability through a software update or feature unlock without additional hardware. New customers require Halo hardware.

Elsight says Halo has accumulated more than 500,000 operational hours across more than 100 customers, including deployments in complex, high-intensity combat environments. The platform is included on the Defense Contract Management Agency’s Blue UAS list.

More information is available at https://elsight.com.