SandboxAQ tests magnetic navigation on Northrop Grumman drone

SandboxAQ announced it has completed a flight test of its AQNav magnetic navigation system on Northrop Grumman's (NYSE: NOC) Lumberjack® attritable unmanned aircraft system, a Group 3 one-way-attack drone. The company claims this is the first reported test of a magnetic navigation system on an attritable platform, and the first pairing of a magnetic navigation system with a visual navigation system on such a platform.

AQNav operates without reliance on GPS or other externally transmitted signals, using passive, all-weather positioning that can function as a standalone system or alongside inertial, visual, and satellite navigation systems. SandboxAQ said its engineers integrated the AQNav software into the Lumberjack's existing systems in under an hour.

The company also unveiled a hardware-agnostic, software-only version of AQNav designed for rapid integration with existing defense platforms. The software runs on existing onboard compute infrastructure and supports open architecture interfaces.

"Pairing AQNav with Northrop Grumman's experience in unmanned aircraft and open mission systems will ensure our joint forces have an operationally validated navigation capability in even the most contested domains," said Max Schuster, program manager for Lumberjack at Northrop Grumman.

Since 2023, AQNav has been flight-tested by military and commercial partners including Airbus and Boeing. SandboxAQ has worked with the U.S. Air Force for more than three years, conducting tests aboard C-17 Globemaster III and C-130J Super Hercules aircraft and participating in three large-scale military exercises. AQNav is also part of the Defense Innovation Unit's Transition of Quantum Sensing program and was selected for the 2025 NATO DIANA cohort.

The Lumberjack air vehicle is produced by ESAero Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of AV Inc., with Northrop Grumman serving as mission systems integrator. The announcement is based on a press release issued by SandboxAQ.

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