The Air Force Research Laboratory’s airborne alternative position, navigation and timing system prototype reached three milestones during recent test flights onboard a T-38C supersonic aircraft in November.
The PNT AgilePod prototype completed its first test on a high-dynamic-range platform, its first remote interfacing and alternative positioning data transmission, and its first demonstration of overland and overwater transition operations, AFRL said Wednesday.
“We encountered and overcame a range of challenges associated with computational, power, and electromagnetic environments that were very different from previous tests,” shared Maj. Andrew Cottle, an official from the Air Force Strategic Development Planning and Experimentation office.
The U.S. Air Force envisions the finalized PNT version of the open architecture-based AgilePod to carry plug-and-play sensors and software that enable alternative positioning technologies to integrate and transmit information following common standards.
According to AFRL, the recent testing will inform the military brass’ plans to meet AgilePod’s fiscal 2022 and 2023 transition objectives, which include meeting the various navigation needs of other Air Force organizations.