Why does the Air Force need a GPS-denied strike drone?

Modern adversaries like China and Russia possess sophisticated electronic warfare and GPS jamming capabilities. A drone that relies solely on GPS can be rendered ineffective in contested environments. The AEVEX program uses alternative navigation technologies — including inertial navigation and AI autonomy — so the aircraft can complete missions even when satellite signals are jammed or spoofed.

How much is the AEVEX Aerospace contract worth, and what does it cover?

The U.S. Air Force awarded AEVEX Aerospace a $50 million contract to develop an advanced long-range strike UAS. The program focuses on autonomous navigation in GPS-denied environments, integrating technologies such as INS, vision-aided navigation, multi-sensor fusion, and onboard AI decision-making.

What navigation technologies replace GPS in the AEVEX drone?

The program targets multiple complementary technologies: inertial navigation systems (INS) for dead-reckoning, computer vision for terrain-based positioning, multi-sensor fusion combining radar altimeters and celestial navigation, and AI-driven autonomy to determine flight paths when communications or signals are disrupted.

2026年7月27日週一

U.S. Air Force Awards AEVEX Aerospace $50M Contract to…

Source: Defense Feeds

Original article

U.S. Air Force Awards AEVEX Aerospace $50M Contract to Develop GPS-Denied Long-Range Strike Drone

The U.S. Air Force has signed a $50 million contract with AEVEX Aerospace to develop an advanced long-range strike drone capable of operating autonomously in GPS-denied environments. The program aims to strengthen future precision strike capabilities and represents a key strategic move to counter growing electronic warfare threats from near-peer adversaries.

LAETimes Editorial TeamAI-assisted translation, editor-reviewed ·

20 days ago

U.S. Air Force Awards AEVEX Aerospace $50M Contract to Develop GPS-Denied Long-Range Strike Drone 1

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Highlights

The U.S. Air Force signed a $50 million contract with AEVEX Aerospace to develop a long-range strike drone capable of autonomous operation in GPS-denied environments.
The program addresses a critical vulnerability of GPS-dependent drones against electronic warfare jamming and spoofing by near-peer adversaries including China and Russia.
Key navigation technologies include inertial navigation systems (INS), vision-aided navigation, multi-sensor fusion, and onboard AI autonomy.
The contract marks a major breakthrough for AEVEX Aerospace in the military long-range strike UAS market, validating the company's autonomous systems expertise.
The initiative reflects the Pentagon's broader strategy to develop resilient drone platforms capable of operating in Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) electromagnetic environments.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force has announced a $50 million contract with AEVEX Aerospace to develop an advanced long-range strike drone capable of executing missions in GPS-denied combat environments, marking a significant milestone for the company's Long-Range Strike UAS program.

Background and Strategic Significance

As electronic warfare and satellite signal jamming technologies become increasingly sophisticated on the modern battlefield, drone systems that rely on conventional GPS navigation face serious vulnerabilities in high-threat environments. The contract's core objective is to address this critical weakness — enabling unmanned aircraft to maintain autonomous flight and precision strike capabilities even when satellite positioning signals are jammed or spoofed.

The program is designed to bolster the U.S. military's future long-range precision strike capabilities, leveraging autonomous navigation technology to allow drones to complete missions independently in complex, GPS-degraded operational environments.

About AEVEX Aerospace

AEVEX Aerospace is a U.S. defense technology company specializing in unmanned aircraft systems and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) technologies. Securing this high-profile Air Force contract not only validates the company's expertise in autonomous drone technology, but also represents a significant breakthrough for AEVEX in the military long-range strike UAS market.

Technical Challenges and Development Directions

Achieving autonomous flight in GPS-denied environments requires integrating a range of alternative navigation technologies, including:

Inertial Navigation Systems (INS): Using accelerometers and gyroscopes for dead-reckoning navigation
Vision-Aided Navigation: Employing computer vision to identify terrain features for positioning
Multi-Sensor Fusion: Combining data from radar altimeters, celestial navigation, and other diverse sources
AI-Driven Autonomy: Allowing onboard artificial intelligence to independently determine flight paths when communications are disrupted or signals are jammed

Industry Outlook

This contract is a concrete manifestation of the Pentagon's recent push to develop operational capabilities for Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) environments. As potential adversaries such as China and Russia continue to advance their electronic warfare and anti-access capabilities, the U.S. military urgently needs drone platforms that can operate independently in complex electromagnetic environments.

The advancement of the AEVEX Long-Range Strike UAS program is expected to provide the U.S. Air Force with a more resilient long-range strike option in future high-intensity conflicts, and may have broad demonstrative implications for military applications of autonomous navigation technology.

Source: Defense Feeds, Washington

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