Hope for the best, prepare for the worst: Accelerated development is key to defense readiness

A recent wargaming exercise organized by the UK Ministry of Defence has highlighted the need to accelerate the development and production of defense equipment.

Timed to coincide with the launch of the UK’s new Defence Industrial Strategy, the exercise showed that supplies of drones, munitions, and other defense technologies are not currently at a level where they can meet potential wartime demand.

With drones among the technologies in the spotlight, this means that drone manufacturers must find ways to bring innovative platforms to market faster.

Drones are playing more roles on the battlefield

The focus is sharpening as drones take on a growing array of tasks on the battlefield. Reuters reports that uncrewed vehicles currently in use in Ukraine range from strike drones and interception drones to ground-based vehicles for delivering supplies and evacuating wounded soldiers.

As drone use grows, capabilities like swarming, jamming resistance and autonomous navigation are climbing up defense procurement wishlists. Manufacturers aiming to meet this demand must find ways to shorten R&D and production cycles without compromising drone performance.

The need for realism can slow down testing

One obstacle to accelerating development is the need to test prototypes in realistic conditions.

Conflict zones typically present multiple simultaneous threats, from jamming of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals to spoofing attacks that can result in a drone being diverted from its planned route. Vulnerability to such navigation warfare (NAVWAR) tactics must be thoroughly evaluated and mitigated as early as possible in the R&D process.

Terrain is another key consideration. GNSS signals used for autonomous navigation can be obscured, reflected or attenuated by physical features like mountains, gullies and tree cover. A battlefield drone must be able to handle degraded RF environments, often at the same time as contending with signal jamming and spoofing.

Lab-based simulation is by far the most scientific way of testing a drone’s ability to operate in the presence of threats like these.

However, truly realistic conditions have been hard to recreate in the lab, with simulators tending to use statistical models rather than real-world emulation. Manufacturers have often had to wait for a slot on an outdoor range to test their designs in the real world, slowing down R&D cycles.

Introduce ultra-realistic lab testing with Spirent PNT X

Now, Spirent enables drone developers to replicate the real world in the lab with PNT X, the world’s most advanced simulation platform for positioning, navigation and timing (PNT).

PNT X supports ultra-realistic NAVWAR testing, with features including flexible interference generation, continuous dynamic range and 3D terrain modelling. Test cycles can be further accelerated using PNT X’s range of automation options.

Flexible interference generation for complex NAVWAR scenarios

Modern conflict zones typically feature widespread use of powerful GNSS signal jammers and signal spoofers to disrupt the operation of drones and other GNSS-reliant equipment.

PNT X enables these complex NAVWAR signal environments to be modelled realistically in the lab. It is capable of generating a high volume of signals without impacting performance—ideal for testing complex scenarios with multiple jammers and spoofers.

Additionally, by separating channels on to different radio cards, PNT X allows even the most powerful jammers to be generated within the simulator without affecting the GNSS signals, removing the need for a separate interference generator.

Continuous dynamic range for realistic jammer emulation

A drone may pass into and out of range of multiple jammers as it navigates a conflict zone, with each jammer’s power levels increasing and decreasing at the receiver. To emulate this type of scenario realistically, a simulator must be capable of producing dynamic jammer-to-signal (J/S) ratios within a wide dB range—something that has been technologically very difficult to achieve.

Spirent has overcome this challenge, with the result that PNT X uniquely offers a continuous dynamic range of up to 140dBm. Received power levels of the simulated jamming waveforms can increase and decrease within a range starting from lower than GNSS at -130dBm (producing a negative J/S ratio) to levels around 0dBm that are typical of the highest-power jammers. The ability to simulate such complex jamming scenarios in the lab can significantly accelerate test cycles.

3D terrain modeling for realistic obscuration and multipath

Drone developers will want to know exactly how the vehicle performs in different scenarios and types of terrain. Mountains and gullies can block GNSS signals, for example, but they can also block signals from jammers and spoofers, which can have interesting and unexpected responses in receivers.

PNT X offers ultra-realistic 3D terrain modeling capabilities to bring the real world into the lab. It uses 3D maps to render physical features such as mountains, gullies, buildings and tree cover, and ray tracing to model the effects of the terrain on GNSS and interference signals relative to the receiver’s antenna. Users can import their own maps or use pre-loaded maps of landscapes from around the world.

Crucially, multiple transmit and receive antennas can be placed into this physical environment, allowing complex NAVWAR scenarios to be simulated with a high degree of realism. PNT X also applies obscuration, multipath and diffraction effects from the terrain to custom signals ingested into the simulator as I/Q files, representing another significant advance for test realism.

Faster testing with new automation options

PNT X allows testing to be conducted even faster through its expanded range of test automation options. Options available through the powerful SimREMOTE interface include a variety of programming languages via gRPC, a Python Integrated Development Environment via Spyder, and third-party systems such as NI LabView – as well as Spirent’s proprietary PNT Automation tool.

Accelerate drone development and production by increasing lab test realism

As demand increases for innovative battlefield technology, accelerating R&D and production is essential. With its support for ultra-realistic scenario testing in the lab, and automation options to accelerate testing still further, Spirent PNT X supports developers to bring new technologies to market faster.

If you have any questions about NAVWAR testing with PNT X, please get in touch.