DARPA announces programme to develop GPS-independent clocks

The Protection Superior Analysis Assignments Company (DARPA), in the US, has announced the H6 programme to create GPS-impartial clocks that can keep precise timing to boost mission achievements.

Selected military services methods count on world positioning program (GPS) timing updates.

GPS abilities can deteriorate underground or underwater and may also come to be unavailable due to jamming by adversaries. In transform, this may perhaps jeopardise the results of the mission.

The H6 programme seeks to address this situation and aims to guidance the improvement of extremely-little, low-energy, fieldable clocks that can manage specific microsecond timing precision for a 7 days without GPS fixes.

This kind of clocks will be built to work in a temperature assortment of -40°C to 85°C.

DARPA Microsystems Technological innovation Office H6 programme manager Jonathan Hoffman stated: “When clockmaker John Harrison developed his H1 by means of H5 maritime chronometers to contend for British Parliament’s 1714 Longitude Act prize, figuring out longitude was the tactical mission problem of the period.

“Today, GPS denial is the most important PNT [positioning, navigation and timing] obstacle. H6 is the spiritual successor to Harrison’s H5, and with it we aim to take out GPS-timing dependency even though keeping sign assurance, pervasive safety, and high-bandwidth communications. H6 is the clock Harrison would establish to resolve today’s tactical mission problem of GPS denial.”

The H6 programme involves 3 phases.

In the very first period, the performers will tackle clock dependence on temperature and size, body weight, and electricity (SWaP) reduction constraints.

The next period will include clock ageing and the demonstration of procedure all through the tactical temperature selection.

In the ultimate period, the performers will exhibit a entirely integrated tactical-quality clock, as well as fabricate and deliver 5 clocks.

The proposals are because of on 8 August 2022 and the work is scheduled to start out in January future yr.

The DARPA lately picked six teams for the Morphogenic Interfaces (MINT) programme.