AeroVironment Wasp AE to be Fitted with Secure GPS Capability

Rockwell Collins has been selected by AeroVironment to provide its MicroGRAM GPS receiver for the Wasp AE small unmanned aircraft system (SUAS), bringing secure, jam-resistant GPS capability to a micro UAV for the first time. The addition of secure GPS will significantly reduce the possibility that the SUAV can be jammed by enemy forces.

Launched in 2011, the MicroGRAM’s 90 percent size reduction over its predecessor means that equipment such as SUAS, handheld radios, ruggedised field computers, laser range finders and gun sights can now be equipped with secure GPS capability.

Rockwell Collins said the system’s security features are the result of leveraging the company’s work providing Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM) GPS capabilities to warfighters. MicroGRAM (GPS Receiver Application Module) is enabled by the latest generation, single-die SAASM now in production. Compared to previous SAASM GPS technology, this latest device provides ‘significant size, weight and power reductions for micro-embedded applications’. 

The company said SAASM GPS encapsulates all GPS classified data and signal processing into one tamper-proof module, providing jamming and spoofing protection for US and allied forces operating in hostile environments.