What project AV9 buys
This project develops technologies that will enable precise and assured Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) in Global Positioning System (GPS)-denied environments by addressing the PNT's toughest Scenario - Scenario 4 (no available GPS signal during the mission duration) with a goal of enabling Soldier missions of up to seven days in a GPS denied environment. This is achieved by researching advanced quantum timing circuits, advanced inertial measurement unit (IMU) components, multi-sensor modalities, perception techniques, geo-location data, vision aided navigation sensors, and available radio frequency (RF) signals. This work also addresses the PNT Scenario 1 (GPS operations that start well and have degraded GPS signals throughout the mission duration) through Scenario 3 (GPS operations that have bad or limited availability of GPS signals throughout the entire mission). This is achieved by investigating the ability to transmit jam- resistant, precision timing synchronized signals using optical fibers, free-space using lasers, and in the RF domain using innovative RF antenna concepts to extend the reach of Soldier compatible capabilities in heavily contested GPS environments. Work in this project complements Program Element (PE) 0603463A (Network C3I Advanced Technology) / Project AW6 (Modular GPS Independent Sensors Advanced Tech) and Program Element (PE) 0602146A (Network C3I Technology) / Project AW5 (Modular GPS Independent Sensors Technology). Work in this project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC).
Project AV9 funding, FY2025–FY2031
Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure. Projects carry the full five-year plan; the activities inside them stop at the budget year.
| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 7.9 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 8.0 |
| FY2027 | Request | 16.5 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 19.3 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 19.5 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 19.6 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 19.7 |
4 accomplishments / planned programs
The R-2A exhibit — the only level of the budget that describes work that has not happened yet. Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only, no five-year plan. 1 of them describes FY2027 work in enough detail to have its own page; the rest are shown here in full. Coverage is partial across the corpus, so count activities, never total them.
Will continue to develop optical technologies for chip-scale holdover clocks by investigating and integrating a micro optical frequency comb with stability locking circuitry; integrate epsilon-near-zero resonator and assess locking stability potential; assess multi-modal architecture and fusion algorithms for precision PNT towards the…
Read the FY2027 plan →FY2027 planned work Will mature methods for multi-view sensor geometries.
FY2026 to FY2027 change Increase is to mature methods for multi-view sensor geometries and is due to consolidation from PE 0602146A (Network C3I Technology) / Project CV4 (Pathfinder 3D Applied Technology) to combine Position, Navigation, and Timing capabilities into a project. This will generate efficiencies and enable flexibility as mission needs change.
FY2025 accomplishments Will assess performance limits of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) inertial sensors with novel self-calibration and tuning methods based on integrated novel piezoelectric materials; investigate new high-quality-factor structural materials for next-generation inertial sensors; validate inertial measurement unit (IMU) system-level modeling techniques for multiple degrees of freedom.
FY2025 accomplishments Will investigate optimized algorithms and architecture for modular positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) sensor fusion state estimation; down-select self-stabilization circuitry architecture for frequency stabilization of micro-resonator optical frequency combs; assess integration techniques for micro-resonator optical frequency combs, injection-locked laser, and self-stabilization circuit that enable low-SWAP chip-scale optical clocks/oscillators; investigate performance of low SWAP-C optical transmit/receive unit for free-space optical positioning and time transfer.