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The Royal Navy gadget that could bring signal jamming to an end
The Royal Navy will work with a new type of clock at sea that could bring malicious jamming attacks to an end.
The Navy's clocks have traditionally been tied to satellites to determine the time while at sea – an essential part of navigation – but this can be vulnerable to interference and sabotage.
However, in what has been hailed as a world first, a new atomic clock was able to function continuously aboard HMS Pursuer in the Solent area over three days during rough sea conditions.
Named the AQlock, the device, roughly the size of a shoebox, does not have to rely on conventional position, navigation and timing, which is provided almost completely through Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) to determine time while at sea.
The Government has warned a reliance on GNSS makes it susceptible to signal jamming – an attack that involves broadcasting radio waves to create interference – and spoofing, in which fake signals are transmitted to confuse systems.
The clock, made by quantum sensing specialists Aquark Technologies, did not have to rely on corrections to time from GNSS and instead detected any changes by comparing the frequency of clock ticks to that of atoms.
Meanwhile, rather than being launched into space the device was kept close to the point of activity and operation, which meant it was not vulnerable to jamming compared with a typical satellite in space, typically 20,000km away.
By demonstrating its ability to continuously operate on board the vessel, it has shown how a global reliance on GNSS military operations, infrastructure, telecommunications, finance, transportation, and many other sectors can be reduced.
Dr Alex Jantzen, Aquark Technologies chief executive, told The Telegraph: 'This is a ground-based alternative for navigation so that we won't need satellites any more.
'We've taken this high level performance clock and instead of placing it on a satellite we kept it close to the point of activity and operation, showing it no longer has to be kept at a distance.'
Potential antidote to spoofing
Dr Jantzen explained it was critical to ensure the atoms were cold, kept at a temperature of -273.149996C, 'the coldest place in the universe'.
'The atoms move very quickly if not kept at this temperature,' he said. 'With the atoms, by cooling them down, we make measurements of their properties and use them to stabilise the clock. That's what we count our seconds with.'
The clock, built in less than a year, was tested at a national physical laboratory before it was deployed on the boat.
Dr Jantzen added: 'A spoofed clock can often not return to the correct time without being hard restarted, whereas a jammed one can resync when signal is back. Having found a potential antidote to spoofing marks a critical development in this juncture.'
The company worked with the Ministry of Defence 's defence science and technology laboratory to trial the device.
Dr Matthew Aldous, the principal quantum scientist, said: 'The defence science and technology laboratory is pleased to have played a pivotal role in supporting Aquark and the Royal Navy in trialling this emerging technology.
'There is huge potential for quantum systems to unlock future capability, and rigorous testing in deployed environments is key to understanding the right applications for them.
'As these tools progress in maturity and ruggedness, we look forward to further opportunities to bring them to bear on real challenges faced by defence and security personnel.'
Chester Butterworth, the head of the strategy, disruptive capabilities and technologies office, said: 'The Royal Navy remains committed to exploring disruptive technologies that offer the potential for significant operational advantage.
'The outcome of this trial aligns with the UK's sovereign capability goals and paves the way for future innovation that will enable the Royal Navy to leverage best-in-class technologies.
'The capabilities of Aquark's system to improve existing position, navigation and timing methods, outside of the laboratory and in harsh, remote environments, is a milestone achieved by very few systems to date.'
