This article explains the limitations of GPS navigation in modern warfare and the counter-methods APEX & Vertx cohort members devise to overcome them.
For decades, the Global Positioning System (GPS) has been the invisible backbone of the modern world. GPS is the silent pulse that guides everything from the GPS tracker in your smartphone to the precision-guided munitions on the front lines – if you want to know where to go, we’ve got eyes in the sky to figure it out.
But as the war in Ukraine and recent conflicts in the Middle East have proven, that pulse can flatline. GPS is no longer a guarantee when it becomes a target. For the modern warfighter and the casual navigator alike, navigation in GPS-denied environments is quickly becoming of paramount concern. And for those in greatest need, this ability won’t be a luxury, but a survival necessity.
One of the focuses of the Academic Partnership Engagement Experiment (APEX) and Vertx Partners is identifying companies in the United States developing technology that could aid the warfighter. Countering GPS-denied and degraded navigation is a top tech priority for Vertx. In this guide, we explore what GPS-denied navigation is and what is being done about it.
Denied vs. Degraded vs. Spoofed
To solve the problem, we must first define the “electronic fog” of the modern battlespace. Here are some helpful definitions:
GPS-Degraded
- What is it? The signal is present but weak, inaccurate, or noisy. Often caused by physical terrain (urban canyons; cities) or distance.
- The result? Your position drifts or jumps. Maps become unreliable, and timing sync fails.
GPS-Denied
- What is it? The signal is completely blocked or suppressed. Usually, the result of active electronic warfare (jamming).
- The result? The screen goes dark. The aircraft or vessel has no external reference for where it is in 3D space.
GPS-Spoofed
- What is it? The most dangerous: An adversary sends a fake signal that your receiver believes is real.
- The result? You think you’re in international waters, but the spoofed signal has led you miles into enemy territory.
| Threat Type | Cause | Primary Result |
| Degraded | Physical terrain or distance. | Position “drifts” or “jumps”. |
| Denied | Active jamming/electronic warfare. | Total loss of external reference; “dark” screen. |
| Spoofed | Adversary sends fake signals. | Navigation into enemy territory or unsafe zones. |
Why This Matters
Disruptions to GPS services don’t just affect the warfighter. When we talk about marine GPS navigation, for example, we aren’t just talking about naval destroyers. We’re talking about 20% of the world’s oil and gas moving through the Strait of Hormuz. These sorts of disruptions can and are felt on the home front.
- For the Warfighter: A drone that loses GPS without an autonomous backup becomes a lost asset or, worse, a wayward projectile.
- For the Civilian: GPS jamming in the Baltic Sea has forced commercial airliners to reroute, burning thousands of gallons of extra fuel and risking mid-air confusion. Even our power grids rely on GPS for precision timing; without it, the lights can literally go out.
Breakthroughs: Beyond GPS
APEX and Vertx Partners are currently identifying and supporting nontraditional companies building a future that isn’t reliant on GPS.
1. KEF Robotics: The Over-Water Breakthrough
While many companies use Visual Odometry (using cameras to detect landmarks like trees or buildings), KEF Robotics is pushing into a difficultly uniform frontier: Open Water. Without landmarks, KEF’s systems are evolving to use celestial features (stars), magnetism, and airspeed measurements to navigate across featureless oceans.
2. StarNav’s SNDR-X
StarNav boasts an array of AltPNT technologies to help combat the challenges of GPS-denied navigation. One of these products, the SNDR-X, has put StarNav on the map both commercially and with the DoW. It works by independently processing an assortment of communication signals to help determine position.
3. Terrain-Aided Navigation (TRN)
Think of TRN as “Digital Sight.” Systems like KEF’s Tailwind compare what a drone’s camera sees in real-time against a pre-loaded 3D map of the Earth.
4. Telemetry-Only Navigation
New breakthroughs from companies like SPARC AI are allowing drones to navigate using only internal telemetry – gyroscopes, accelerometers, and compasses – to build a 3D view of their flight path without needing external signals, LIDAR, or even complex image recognition.
Potential Challenges & Why More Innovation Is Needed
This technology isn’t without its own vulnerabilities. For the technologist and the warfighter, Alt-PNT (Alternative Position, Navigation, and Timing) faces hurdles:
- Featureless Terrain: If you’re flying over a desert of pure white snow or a flat, calm sea at night, cameras have nothing to “grab” onto.
- Motion Blur: High-speed flight can blur the vision of a sensor, causing the navigation software to lose its lock.
- Computational Load: Running high-level AI and 3D mapping onboard a tiny drone requires massive processing power and drains batteries fast. An organization like the DAF-Stanford AI Studio is dedicated to mastering the computational challenges of mass autonomy at scale, pioneering a frontier that will prove to be make-or-break for overcoming GPS-denied navigation
While companies like KEF and SPARC are working to overcome these limitations, there is still much work to be done before GPS-denied navigation is as reliable as GPS itself.
The Path Forward
The mission of APEX and Vertx is to ensure that the U.S. and its allies are never left in the dark on the battlefield. We identify the small businesses that are solving these pitfalls and overcoming the challenges of GPS-denied navigation.
Whether you are building the next generation of marine GPS navigation or a way to keep a GPS tracker active in a jammed city, the Department of War (DoW) needs your ingenuity.
Are you building the future of resilient navigation?
We want to talk with you. Don’t navigate the federal contracting landscape alone. Vertx offers its own version of the situational awareness you need to win high-impact awards that make a difference for you and the warfighter.
GPS failure isn’t a distant problem. It’s happening now. If you’re developing technology that keeps assets oriented even when the signal goes dark, Vertx Partners wants to hear from you. We connect non-traditional companies with the defense contracts and resources needed to strengthen our national security.
Reach out to Vertx today.