Defense Innovation Unit says Honeywell quantum navigation system improved aircraft position accuracy by 89% in GPS-free Pacific test flight

The Defense Innovation Unit said a Honeywell quantum-navigation prototype improved aircraft position accuracy by 89% over traditional backup methods during a GPS-denied flight in the Pacific region. The system used quantum sensors and mapped variations in Earth's magnetic field while operating for four hours and 23 minutes aboard an Embraer 170 flying from Puget Sound toward southern Alaska, with results shown to pilots on tablets. Selected from 72 submissions to DIU's 2024 Transition of Quantum Sensing program, the prototype is slated for a C-17 demonstration later in 2026 and is not yet an operational navigation system.