Remote Warfare and Satellite Navigation

Recent conflicts have showcased an increase in remote warfare, characterized by the use of jets, missiles, and drones without extensive troop deployment. This method relies heavily on satellite navigation systems like GPS (United States), Glonass (Russia), Galileo (European Union), and BeiDou (China) for precision targeting over long distances.

Disruption Tactics in Satellite Navigation

• Common methods to disrupt satellite navigation include:
  1. Jamming: Flooding receivers with noise to disrupt signals.
  2. Spoofing: Sending false location data to mislead navigation systems.
  3. Meaconing: Rebroadcasting delayed or altered signals.
  4. Other techniques include electromagnetic shielding, signal masking, and radar-absorbent materials.
• Natural phenomena like solar flares and ionospheric disturbances can also affect satellite signals.

Need for Robust Navigation Systems

Given the increasing jamming and spoofing incidents, especially in regions like Ukraine, West Asia, and South Asia, there's a growing emphasis on developing robust, multi-modal navigation systems in GPS-denied environments.

Alternative Navigation Systems

• Inertial Navigation Systems (INS): Though useful, they drift over time and need periodic satellite updates.
• Terrain Contour Matching (Tercom): Effective but struggles in poor visibility and requires detailed maps.
• AI-based Corrections: Can misjudge scenarios due to limited training data.

Quantum Magnetic Navigation System (QMNS)

QMNS is emerging as a valuable navigation method, using quantum sensors to detect Earth's magnetic field variations for precise positioning, independent of satellite systems.

Components and Applications

• Combines:
  1. Ultra-sensitive quantum magnetometers.
  2. Magnetic anomaly maps for precision.
  3. Inertial navigation systems for enhanced accuracy.
• Applications include:
  1. Military submarines and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).
  2. Economic activities like undersea mining and oil exploration.

Global Advancements in QMNS

• Interest in quantum magnetic sensing accelerated in the late 1990s.
• US and China have been leading investments and field tests since the 2010s.
• Recent US trials showed that AQNav surpassed commercial navigation accuracy.
• Countries like China, the UK, and Germany are progressing rapidly in QMNS development.

India's Progress in QMNS

India is advancing in QMNS through early-stage research, prototype development, and strategic investments.

Current Efforts and Initiatives

• The ₹6,000 crore National Quantum Mission emphasizes quantum sensing.
• DRDO and institutions like IIT Bombay are developing quantum sensors.
• Startups like QuBeats are receiving grants for quantum positioning systems.

Strategic Implications for India

The development of indigenous QMNS technology is crucial for India's defense and economic interests, especially in the Indian Ocean Region, and can enhance India's Blue Economy through deep-sea exploration.