Anello Photonics and Q-CTRL team up on resilient UAV navigation beyond GPS
Anello Photonics and Q-CTRL have formed a strategic partnership to build UAV navigation systems that can keep operating when GPS is degraded or unavailable.
The effort combines Anello’s Silicon Photonics Optical Gyroscope, or SiPhOG, with Q-CTRL’s Ironstone Opal quantum magnetic navigation technology. The companies said the integration will create a layered quantum navigation solution that delivers continuous, bounded position estimates throughout a mission rather than allowing errors to grow unchecked over time. In practice, the inertial sensing system tracks motion while magnetic map matching helps correct drift, giving unmanned aircraft a critical backup when GNSS signals are jammed, spoofed, or denied.
The announcement comes as confidence in satellite navigation is under growing pressure in both defense and commercial markets. Jamming and spoofing have become persistent operational threats, disrupting logistics networks, transport services, and military activity. The companies cited an estimated $1 billion in daily economic risk in the United States tied to those vulnerabilities. Recent disruptions in the Persian Gulf have also underscored how quickly maritime and aerial platforms can lose resilience when GNSS performance is compromised.
The partners said the project marks the first time these two specific approaches have been integrated to scale quantum navigation for real-world use. That matters as electronic warfare intensifies and autonomous platforms take on more missions in contested or infrastructure-poor environments. For next-generation UAVs and other mission-critical vehicles, the ability to navigate without constant GPS coverage is moving from a niche capability to a baseline requirement. If the integration performs as intended, it could strengthen operational continuity and reduce dependence on vulnerable satellite signals across high-risk sectors.