With satellite navigation increasingly targeted by jamming and spoofing threats, UHU Technologies stands at the forefront of innovation, delivering leading-edge solutions to protect both military and civil GPS users.
Founded by Jeff Sanders, a well-known SME in the SIGINT community, UHU Technologies brings decades of expertise to one of today’s most pressing challenges: assuring trusted positioning navigation and timing (PNT) and providing unmatched PNT Situational Awareness (PNT SA) in contested environments.
Inside GNSS sat down with Sanders to discuss UHU’s two flagship products—the UHU 1000 and the Northstar—and the company’s mission to enhance real-time awareness, threat detection, and operational confidence for all GPS-enabled operations.
THE UHU 1000: DEFINING NEW STANDARDS IN PNT SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
At the core of UHU Technologies’ offering is the UHU 1000, a 7-channel system specifically designed to combat advanced GPS attacks while simultaneously locating their source. “Our goal with the UHU 1000,” Sanders explained, “was to create a system that delivers comprehensive PNT situational awareness—not just defending against attacks but enabling users to understand, visualize and respond to them in real time.”
Key features of the UHU 1000 include:
• Impervious to Spoofing: Spatial validation confirms the authenticity of each satellite by validating angle-of-arrival.
• Adaptive Nulling Anti-Jam: Real-time elimination of interfering signals, preserving operational continuity.
• Non-Adaptive Nulling Anti-Spoof: Separates spoofed signals for continuous situational clarity.
• Integrated Timing Receiver: Maintains precise timing even under GPS denial conditions.
• I/Q Recording: Captures detailed signal environments for forensic PNT analysis.
• Situational Awareness GUI: Multiple operational views—Sky, Map, Chart and Spectral—offering full visualization of the GNSS environment.
Housed in a compact 1U 19-inch rackmount chassis, the UHU 1000 empowers users to maintain trusted PNT while achieving continuous, actionable awareness of the threat landscape.
“We designed it to ensure that operators always know not just that there’s a problem, but exactly where it is and how it’s affecting their mission,” Sanders said.
THE NORTHSTAR: EXPANDING PNT SA TO CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
While the UHU 1000 is geared for military and high-security governmental operations, the Northstar system brings robust PNT Situational Awareness to civil infrastructure—a rapidly growing vulnerability as ports, airports and financial systems depend more heavily on GPS.
“Northstar was built to give operators the ability to see—in real time—what’s happening in their GPS environment, with the power to react immediately,” Sanders said.
Highlights of the Northstar system include:
• 4-Channel Antenna System: Differentiates authentic GNSS signals from threats via spatial processing.
• Rapid Threat Detection: Provides immediate alerts and visualizations when spoofing or jamming occurs.
• Automatic Timing Holdover: Maintains operational timing continuity during attacks.
• Angle-of-Arrival Threat Localization: Displays the direction and magnitude of threats to enhance operational decision-making.
• Remote RF Disconnect: Automatically protects external GPS receivers by isolating corrupted signals.
• Event-Based I/Q Recorder: Enables in-depth analysis for sustained PNT SA improvements.
With a user interface designed around Sky View, Map View and Time Machine replays, Northstar transforms GPS-dependent facilities into PNT-aware operations hubs.
“Northstar isn’t just monitoring the sky,” Sanders emphasized. “It’s giving operators a window into the PNT battlespace.”
REAL-WORLD IMPACT: ENHANCING PNT SA AT PORTS, BORDERS AND AIRPORTS
Sanders recounted real-world deployments where enhanced PNT situational awareness made a critical difference. At a major U.S. port, a rogue refrigeration unit was emitting interference, crippling GPS container tracking. A UHU rapid deployment kit quickly located and isolated the source, restoring operational stability.
“PNT SA is about understanding disruptions before they become operational crises,” Sanders explained.
“Knowing when, where and how GPS is being attacked along a sensitive border isn’t just a bonus—it’s critical for mission success and international safety,” Sanders said.
RAPID DEPLOYMENT: DELIVERING IMMEDIATE PNT AWARENESS
Both the UHU 1000 and Northstar were designed from the ground up to provide rapid, on-the-move situational awareness:
• Installation: Fully operational within one hour.
• Mobility: Easily mounted on vehicles using magnetic mounts and stowed in low-profile duffel bags.
• Real-Time Data Streaming: Secure transmission over VPN-enhanced cellular networks.
“Fast, reliable PNT SA shouldn’t require a full engineering team on site,” Sanders said. “Our systems bring clarity to the field immediately.”
A VISION FOR BROADER PNT RESILIENCE: AVIATION, ENERGY AND MARITIME
With civil aviation, maritime and power grid operators now confronting growing GPS vulnerabilities, UHU Technologies is expanding the reach of its PNT Situational Awareness solutions.
Sanders cited a recent incident at a major airport where GPS interference disrupted navigation, forcing pilots to revert to Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) and causing operational delays.
“Without real-time PNT SA, critical infrastructure becomes reactive rather than proactive,” Sanders said. “Our mission is to change that.”
Upcoming demonstrations, including at NAVFEST, will showcase how UHU’s systems can be networked across facilities for distributed, collaborative PNT threat detection.
INTEGRATING PNT SA INTO DOD PROGRAMS OF RECORD
As GPS jamming and spoofing incidents escalate worldwide, the future of military navigation will depend heavily on integrated PNT Situational Awareness. Key Department of Defense (DoD) Programs of Record, particularly in areas such as resilient communications, aviation command and control, autonomous systems, and expeditionary logistics, are increasingly recognizing the need to incorporate field-proven technologies like UHU’s. Real-time detection, localization and mitigation of PNT threats must become intrinsic to platform and mission system designs.
By integrating UHU’s advanced capabilities, these programs can move from a model of after-the-fact vulnerability assessment to a proactive, resilient posture—ensuring continuous mission assurance even in PNT contested or denied environments.
PNT SA AS A CORE OPERATIONAL CAPABILITY
Reflecting on UHU Technologies’ strategy, Sanders summarized the new reality:
“You can’t defend GPS today without superior PNT Situational Awareness. It’s no longer about responding to disruption—it’s about knowing disruption is happening before it impacts your mission.”
With the UHU 1000 and Northstar, UHU Technologies is redefining the standard for resilient, real-time awareness—transforming PNT from a passive dependency into an active operational advantage.
As the global GNSS landscape grows more contested, UHU Technologies ensures operators across sectors will not only survive—but thrive—with trusted PNT.
