As jamming, spoofing and GNSS denial become operational realities, VIAVI’s transcoder is emerging as a practical bridge between legacy vehicle systems and the next generation of assured positioning, navigation and timing.
The conversation around resilient positioning, navigation and timing has changed. Not long ago, much of the discussion centered on architectures, roadmaps and the strategic rationale for bringing timing, inertial navigation, sensor fusion and signal intelligence into a single operational framework. Today, the question is more immediate: How do fielded platforms continue to navigate, synchronize and operate when GPS is jammed, spoofed, degraded or unavailable?
For VIAVI Solutions, that question is no longer theoretical. With its acquisitions of Jackson Labs Technologies and Inertial Labs, VIAVI has assembled a portfolio that spans precision timing, holdover, inertial navigation, sensor fusion and communications-domain expertise. But the clearest expression of that strategy may be a product designed not to replace every system on a vehicle, but to make existing systems more resilient: the VIAVI RSR Transcoder 2.0.
In an interview with Inside GNSS+, Andrew Popp, Sr. Director of PNT Product Line Management at VIAVI, described a market shift that is moving the transcoder from an innovative retrofit concept into an increasingly adopted solution for military platforms operating in contested environments. The product, he said, is now on 18 different vehicle platforms within the U.S. military, with adoption moving quickly as customers look for practical ways to upgrade navigation resilience without redesigning entire vehicles.
BUILT FOR TODAY’S EW INTENSITY
That momentum reflects a core reality of modern defense operations. The electronic warfare environment is no longer an occasional complicating factor; it is a baseline condition. Jamming and spoofing are persistent, adaptive and widespread. The result is a growing need for systems that can preserve trusted PNT even when conventional GPS signals cannot be fully trusted—a concern that extends well beyond the battlefield to transportation networks, power grids, financial systems and emergency services that depend on precise timing and geolocation.
The transcoder addresses that need by acting as an interpretive layer between new sources of navigation or timing data and legacy onboard systems. It can accept multiple types of inputs, including NMEA input, ICD-GPS-153 type input, LEO receiver data, inertial navigation inputs and M-Code-capable sources. It then outputs signals that existing vehicle systems already understand, including GPS L1 C/A and L2 P-code.
Rather than forcing a platform owner to rip out existing receivers, rewire a vehicle or wait for a new program of record to deliver a clean-sheet solution, the transcoder allows new PNT capabilities to be introduced through a familiar interface. Existing equipment sees what looks like a GPS signal. Behind that signal, however, may be a more diverse blend of inputs drawn from inertial navigation, military GPS, alternate satellite sources or other aiding systems.
“It works today,” Popp said. That point is central to VIAVI’s positioning. The transcoder is not framed as a long-range development promise or a future architecture dependent on new acquisition cycles. It is a pluggable solution designed for equipment already fielded, already wired and already operating in demanding environments.
That practicality matters because many defense platforms were not built for today’s EW intensity. Legacy navigation systems may still perform well under normal conditions, but they were not designed for a battlespace in which GPS denial can be expected and spoofing can be sophisticated. The challenge is not only to add resilience, but to add it in a way that respects the cost, complexity and readiness constraints of existing fleets.
Popp emphasized that VIAVI paid close attention to integration details. The cabling, power and physical integration were designed to match the realities of the vehicles and systems already in use. In simple terms, the product is meant to fit into the operational environment, not force the operational environment to conform to the product.
That design philosophy helps explain why adoption has extended beyond initial expectations. The transcoder’s value is not limited to a single vehicle class or a narrow set of requirements. While current deployments are land-based, Popp noted the same approach can extend to rotorcraft and other platforms. The key is not the vehicle type; it is the need to translate trusted PNT inputs into a form that onboard systems can use immediately.
The timing element is especially important. In PNT, timing is often less visible than positioning and navigation, but it is foundational to both. Without trusted time, position and navigation degrade quickly. VIAVI’s Jackson Labs heritage gives the company a deep base in precision timing, synchronization and holdover performance, and that expertise is built into the transcoder family.
MISSION MATCHED RESILIENCE
The transcoder is available in multiple configurations to match different mission needs. Popp described modules that can be embedded into larger solutions, ruggedized enclosure versions, and options with different holdover oscillator capabilities. For critical holdover requirements, VIAVI offers a CSAC option. Other configurations use MEMS-based or OCXO-class approaches, while some versions can operate without an onboard oscillator when a larger vehicle already has a high-quality clock available.
That configurability is not an afterthought. It reflects VIAVI’s view that resilience should be mission-matched rather than overbuilt. Some customers need the highest holdover performance available. Others already have timing assets onboard and simply need the transcoder to ingest and distribute that trusted timing. Still others may want a board-level module to embed inside a broader PNT or navigation solution.
The result is a family of options rather than a one-size-fits-all architecture. That is significant in defense procurement, where over-specifying a solution can be as damaging as under-specifying it. The right answer for a heavy ground vehicle may not be the right answer for a smaller platform, an unmanned system or a contractor-developed navigation suite. VIAVI’s goal is to meet the customer at the level of capability required by the mission.
The same modular thinking applies to sources of position and time. Popp described VIAVI’s posture as source-agnostic. The objective is to use the best available source in the operating environment and deliver that information in a usable form. Today, that can include satellite-based timing sources, Iridium-based services, inertial inputs and M-Code-capable GPS. VIAVI is also evaluating additional sources of opportunity and terrestrial timing approaches as part of a broader strategy to avoid dependence on any single point of failure.
That future-facing design is essential because the PNT landscape is changing quickly. LEO constellations, signals of opportunity, terrestrial timing networks, visual navigation, map matching and other techniques are gaining attention. But each new source creates an integration challenge. New navigation technology is only useful if it can be consumed by the platform that needs it.
This is where the transcoder’s role becomes broader than a single VIAVI product. It can serve as an enabling component for other companies developing more sophisticated INS, visual navigation, north-finding or sensor-fusion systems. If those systems can provide the right input, the transcoder can help translate that capability into a signal format that legacy onboard systems can accept.
A PLATFORM ENABLER
The transcoder is not only a solution; it is a platform enabler. It allows contractors and integrators to bring new PNT technologies to existing vehicles without requiring each new capability to be deeply integrated into every onboard navigation subsystem. The transcoder becomes the bridge between innovation and adoption.
That bridge is important as operational requirements evolve faster than platform refresh cycles. A vehicle may remain in service for decades, while the threat environment changes in months. Operators need a way to insert new resilience layers quickly, affordably and with minimal disruption. The transcoder provides a path to do that by preserving the installed base while upgrading what the installed base receives.
This also connects the transcoder to VIAVI’s larger PNT strategy. An earlier Inside GNSS+ feature on VIAVI’s integrated PNT vision described a layered ecosystem built from precision timing, inertial navigation, signal awareness, validation and modular integration. The transcoder is one of the most practical expressions of that ecosystem. It turns architectural resilience into something that can be used by systems already in place.
The urgency is being driven by real-world conditions. Customers are responding to the severity, frequency and operational consequences of jamming and spoofing. They are not merely planning for future contested environments; they are trying to operate in them now. That makes ease of integration more than a convenience. It becomes a readiness issue.
The transcoder’s adoption across 18 vehicle platforms suggests the market is responding to that need. VIAVI is also pursuing an NSN number for the product, which would make acquisition easier for government customers. Rapid operational adoption depends not only on technical capability, but on procurement accessibility.
The long-term opportunity may be larger still. NATO-aligned and allied markets face many of the same EW and GNSS-denial challenges as the U.S. military. Because the transcoder is built around accepting diverse inputs and outputting standardized signals, it is not limited to a narrow domestic configuration. Its versatility could make it relevant across allied land, air and integrated defense applications where legacy equipment needs to be upgraded for modern PNT threats.
The counter-UAS mission also underscores the importance of resilient PNT. ISR, targeting, object detection, classification and counter-drone operations all depend on trusted georeferencing. If the platform cannot trust its position, timing or navigation data, downstream mission systems suffer. A resilient PNT layer therefore becomes part of the broader mission chain, not merely a navigation accessory.
ACCELERATING ADOPTION
VIAVI’s transcoder does not require customers to choose between legacy systems and next-generation navigation. It allows the two to work together. It gives existing platforms a way to consume resilient PNT inputs while giving new technology providers a path into fielded systems.
VIAVI’s message is simple: Customers should not have to replace everything to become more resilient. They should be able to use the best available sources of time and position, combine them as the mission requires, and deliver them to existing systems in a form those systems can trust.
In a battlespace defined by jamming, spoofing and uncertainty, that is powerful. Resilience is no longer just about having more sensors or more expensive clocks. It is about integration, translation and flexibility. It is about ensuring when one source is degraded or denied, another can be used.
VIAVI’s transcoder sits precisely at that intersection. It connects old and new, GPS and non-GPS, timing and navigation, platform constraints and mission urgency. For military users confronting today’s EW environment, that may be the difference between a promising PNT architecture and a capability that can be fielded now.
