Kapil Kajal
The US Air Force is turning to atomic clock technology to help coordinate swarms of small drones in environments where traditional satellite navigation is jammed or spoofed, according to a new request for information (RFI) released by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).
The initiative seeks to develop advanced position, navigation, and timing (PNT) systems that allow unmanned aircraft to operate and maneuver collectively without relying on the Global Positioning System (GPS), which has become increasingly vulnerable to electronic warfare.
Next-generation timing for drone swarms
At the center of AFRL’s plan is a ruggedized testbed called the Joint Multi-INT Precision Reference (JMPR).
The system integrates a Next Generation Atomic Clock (NGAC) to achieve single-digit picosecond stability and sub-nanosecond accuracy.
By maintaining such extreme precision, drone swarms could synchronize movements and share data seamlessly, even without GPS.
“The ability to achieve extremely high timing coherency between UAS in the swarm is critical,” the RFI stated.
“This enables coordination, communication, and collective maneuvering in contested environments.”
Traditional navigation systems are built around satellite-based timing signals. But in conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, Russian forces have extensively used GPS jamming and spoofing to disrupt operations.
China is reported to be pursuing similar capabilities. These developments have underscored the Pentagon’s need for alternatives.
Decentralized, resilient architecture
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