The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has launched navigation technology that needs no GPS in a bid to secure its aviation sector.
According to a press release on 18 February, the technology designed by the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) is designed to deliver secure, resilient operations in the most challenging environments.
The technology known as Perceptra has been adopted alongside another known as Saluki, a high-security flight control technology for autonomous systems.
Going beyond GPS technology
The use of GPS has been popular for many years especially with airborne navigation systems.
However, it has its limitations that can be exploited to prevent accurate location tracking or cause receivers to calculate incorrect positions or times.
For autonomous drones, commercial aviation, and military aircraft, this poses a significant risk as they depend on precise navigation, hence the need for a more advanced technology.
Perceptra is a vision-based system that ensures reliable navigation without GPS, allowing aerial platforms to operate in GNSS-denied environments.
The system with low navigation errors can be easily integrated across platforms for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare.
Saluki on the other hand is a secure, high-performance flight controller and mission computer with Zero Trust architecture.
It is widely adapted for multi-vehicle management for mission-critical defense applications because of its PX4 compatibility, Gen AI capabilities, and 300 TOPS compute power
Commenting, Dr. Najwa Aaraj, CEO of TII, said:
“Perceptra, with its GPS-less capabilities, and Saluki, with its sophisticated Zero Trust architecture, represent a significant leap in autonomous navigation with the potential to transform multiple sectors. From supporting safe travel in commercial flights, search-and-rescue missions with precise navigation, to enabling efficient urban drone logistics for deliveries in densely populated cities, these technologies have broad real-world applications.
The TII is also working with the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) to support regulatory efforts by developing advanced methodologies for air corridor design to optimize flight routes and reduce the risk of aerial incidents in complex urban airspaces.
ReadNext
