DENVER, March 3, 2025 -- The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Program Office and Integrated Solutions for Systems (IS4S), in collaboration with AEVEX Aerospace, are thrilled to announce the successful completion of Alternative Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) flight tests for the Resilient-Embedded GPS/INS (R-EGI) Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA). This achievement marks a monumental step forward in the development of R-EGI, demonstrating its ability to integrate a "plug & play" third-party alternative PNT capability that ensures reliable navigation in GPS-denied environments.
"This flight test represents a pivotal moment in the evolution of resilient PNT systems," said Dr. Jeff Hebert, AF Senior Scientist for PNT. "The ability to rapidly and cost effectively integrate third-party PNT solutions into DoD weapons systems is precisely why R-EGI, and it's underlying open architecture were envisioned. R-EGI demonstrates that Resilient PNT systems can responsively address safety critical and mission critical requirements when GPS signals are degraded or unavailable."
The R-EGI system's open MOSA architecture enables rapid integration of both government and third-party applications, ensuring it can quickly adapt to emerging navigation threats and system demands. The Mission Capability Navigation (MCNAV) component of R-EGI serves as the backbone for seamlessly incorporating external Alternative PNT solutions, even under the most challenging GPS-denied conditions. Dr. Hebert further stated: "I encourage every third party PNT solutions provider to look into the capabilities of pntOS and ASPN, and to participate in the community of practice that is evolving open source PNT tools."
The recent flight tests demonstrated R-EGI's impressive ability to function in a GPS-denied environment, validating the system's resilience and capacity for real-time adaptability. "R-EGI's open, modular design is a true game-changer for the industry," said John Bowling, PNT Chief Engineer for R-EGI PNT Program. "The speed and ease with which we integrated non-GPS solutions showcase R-EGI's versatility and ability to meet the evolving needs of modern navigation systems. This marks the beginning of a new standard in resilient PNT technology."
The flight tests conducted just three weeks after AEVEX Aerospace successfully integrated their LynxVBN Vision-based Navigation System into R-EGI's MCNAV software, highlighted the extraordinary adaptability of the R-EGI system. The integration, completed in only one hour, demonstrated the system's rapid scalability and interoperability due to its open architecture and adherence to ASPN messaging standards.
"It was remarkable to witness the real-time integration of the LynxVBN system into R-EGI," said LtCol Juan Ramirez, Materiel Leader, Navigation Warfare (NAVWAR) Branch. "This seamless process far exceeded expectations, reinforcing the true potential of R-EGI to integrate third-party systems quickly and effectively."
Dr. Michael Veth, Vice President, Navigation and Autonomy Center at AEVEX Aerospace, echoed this sentiment: "The speed of integration was astonishing. While we made minor adjustments for optimization, connecting LynxVBN to R-EGI was smooth and effortless. This demonstrates the immense capability of R-EGI to incorporate third-party systems with minimal effort."
Throughout the six test flights on the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) C-146A Cougar aircraft, R-EGI operated flawlessly in GPS-denied environments, relying on AEVEX's vision-based updates to navigate accurately. Even with GPS antenna disconnected from the R-EGI GPS receiver, R-EGI maintained approximately 10 meters of positioning accuracy compared to the reference system for up to 2.5 hours, showcasing its exceptional resilience and performance in dynamic flight conditions. As the algorithms continue to improve and evolve, R-EGI's Alternative PNT accuracy will only become more refined, further enhancing its capability to perform in increasingly complex and challenging environments.
"After demonstrating that the R-EGI architecture could integrate multiple GPS receiver vendors, and then three months later, witnessing its performance, from the Cougar-provided live-stream data feed, in real-time GPS-denied flight scenarios was the most impressive showcase we've seen in the program's history," said Major Bernard Mutz, R-EGI Program Manager. "This demonstration highlights the agility, resilience, and operational superiority of the R-EGI system, paving the way for future advancements in navigation technology."
The successful integration of Alternative PNT technologies into R-EGI not only enhances the system's GPS resilience but also sets a new benchmark for reliable, flexible navigation in GPS-degraded environments.
"The combination of Alternative PNT, GPS, and INS technologies within R-EGI's open and adaptable architecture is revolutionizing the PNT landscape," said Dr. Mikel Miller, IS4S Senior Vice President for PNT. "We are breaking new ground in how systems can be integrated, setting a new standard for reliability, adaptability, and mission success in even the most challenging environments."
For questions, reach out to Dr. Mikel Miller at mikel.miller@is4s.com or mar.com@is4s.com.
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