Safran Electronics & Defense and QinetiQ have entered a strategic partnership to deliver sovereign and resilient Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) solutions for the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MoD). This collaboration addresses the urgent need for trusted PNT capabilities in increasingly challenging and GNSS-denied operational environments.

By integrating QinetiQ’s Q40 GNSS receiver with Safran’s SecureSync time server, the partnership offers advanced protection against jamming, spoofing and other adversarial electronic warfare (EW) threats. The joint solution supports multi-signal reception and delivers reliable, coherent synchronization for mission-critical military operations from strategic headquarters to frontline forces.

This next-generation, sovereign capability strengthens the UK’s operational advantage, ensuring continuous access to secure timing and navigation, even under electronic attack. The solution is designed to adapt and expand, accommodating future threats and supporting the full spectrum of defence operations.

James Willis, Chief Executive UK Intelligence, QinetiQ, said: “The Q40 provides navigational assurance in environments where jamming, spoofing and electronic attacks are ever-present. By pairing it with Safran’s SecureSync, we are giving UK forces a trusted, sovereign solution that ensures precise timing and navigation data remains available when it matters most.”

“In the current context of evolving threats and contested environments, guaranteeing sovereignty in navigation and timing is more critical than ever for national defence,” added Maxime Gorlier, Director of PNT Business Unit for Safran Electronics & Defense. “This partnership enables UK armed forces to maintain full independence and sovereignty, even when facing sophisticated electronic warfare tactics. Together, we are committed to providing future-proof PNT solutions that strengthen the UK’s resilience and strategic autonomy.”

This partnership leverages both companies’ sustained investment in customer-focused research, development, and innovation. It demonstrates their shared commitment to providing robust, secure and resilient PNT solutions, underpinning the UK’s defence capabilities now and into the future.

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