Canadian defense technology company SPARC AI has launched Overwatch Patrol, a positioning system designed to let soldiers track themselves and other members of their unit when GPS and other satellite navigation signals are jammed, spoofed or unavailable.
The company unveiled the system at MSPO in Kielce, Poland, placing the launch close to one of the regions where satellite navigation interference has become a persistent problem. In July, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency updated its guidance on GNSS interference following continued jamming and spoofing incidents. EASA says interference has increased since 2022, particularly around conflict zones, including the Baltic Sea, Black Sea and parts of Eastern Europe.
Further, evidence points to Russia jamming GPS from space even as the radio positioning system has become a new casualty in the global battlefield.
Overwatch Patrol takes SPARC AI’s existing GPS-independent positioning technology and applies it to troops on the ground. According to the company, the system requires no external GPS receiver, antenna or additional positioning hardware. It can run as a native mobile application or through a web browser using SPARC AI’s cloud-based Overwatch Positioning Network. The system creates a mesh network between soldiers and does not depend on any form of wider broadcast technology.
Members of a patrol can form a group using a temporary code created by the commander. Once connected, each member can see the location and movement of the others on a shared map without relying on GPS. Soldiers can join or leave the group in the field without devices being configured in advance.
The system also lets members place shared rally points on the map. A commander could change a meeting point after contact, during a casualty evacuation or when a planned route is no longer usable. Each member of the unit would then receive the new location and could move toward it independently.
What’s most interesting about this tech is that it can run on nearly any device, even devices owned and operated by individual soldiers. This sort of bring-your-own tech is quite clever and nods to the prevalence of personal hardware on the battlefield.
SPARC AI says it is also discussing integration with tactical radio network providers, which could allow Overwatch Patrol position data to move across communications systems already used by military units. This would allow telemetry data to move even more secure military channels.
The system was originally designed for GPS-free navigation for drones and ground vehicles. This twist to that idea allows commanders to use the same technology that keeps UAVs flying to keep their soldiers safe on the ground.
