The Pentagon’s research arm has been experimenting with a new generation of ultra-precise clocks, with the hope of one day integrating the devices into military aircraft, radars, and other systems as a reliable backup for American forces when GPS is jammed or spoofed.
To get there, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, is tackling a vulnerability that hinges on a complex, little-known principle: GPS depends entirely on precise timing.
“Positioning, navigation, and timing is the service that we get from GPS,” said Dana Goward, president of the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation.
GPS satellites work by continuously…
