Boeing Achieves GPS-Free Flight with Quantum Sensors

In 2024, Boeing successfully completed the first recorded flight test of multiple quantum sensors, enabling an aircraft to navigate without GPS for four hours. The test, conducted in St. Louis, demonstrated the operation of quantum sensors in flight, producing real-time navigation data. The quantum navigation system uses a quantum inertial measurement unit (IMU) designed to be more accurate than conventional IMUs, potentially reducing navigation errors from kilometers to meters. Developed in collaboration with AOSense, the IMU employs atomic interferometry to detect rotation and acceleration, providing navigation accuracy without GPS. The flight tests also incorporated Boeing's All Source Positioning, Navigation and Timing (ASPNT) software, along with sensors like the SandboxAQ's AQNav and a day-capable star tracker. These advancements promise safer flight operations in GPS-denied environments, marking a significant step towards the next generation of navigation sensors.