Edwards Air Force Base Showcases Successful Test of StarNav Tech
Riverside, CA – 4/7/2023 – The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School is known for providing high quality resources for greater aerospace testing. This was recently demonstrated through their partnership with Southern California based StarNav to test a unique GPS system. Flown on a special T-38C Talon from Holloman AFB, the system aims to provide more reliable and accurate positioning and timing information to aircraft by using existing onboard antennas. TPS proudly named this project, “Have 5tarboy”.
“It’s an interesting project and name,” Capt. Nathan Raquet, TPS Project Lead said. “We changed the ‘S’ to a ‘5’ in our project 5tarboy because we are testing the L5 GPS signal. The project is testing a L5 and GPS Galileo E5A receiver through existing hardware on the aircraft in this case, a T-38C.”
StarNav’s system worked well during the challenges it encountered by the jets’ pilots in California last month. The 412th Test Wing Guidance and Navigation Technical Adequacy Office desired to have a solution that can produce accurate position information while undergoing this project that would benefit the warfighter, the Edwards test mission and the Department of Defense as a whole.
“The more frequencies you have, you can correct for atmospheric errors and it also gives you more redundancy in the electromagnetic spectrum by having more ways of getting information,” Raquet said. “If we don’t do this test, we don’t have the answers to if this implementation is realistic and we won’t have this asset available to the test community.”
With a successful test from the 5tarboy team, more accurate navigation information using the L5 GPS signal is becoming enabled with Air Force aircraft.
“The exercises StarNav participated in during their two weeks at the base proved successful by all means and showed us what our tech can really do during aggressive maneuvers in the sky. This is a great step forward for the device’s development and we’re excited to continue working with the Air Force in future tests here at home in California,” said StarNav’s Founder and President Joshua Morales who was also joined by the company’s Chief Technology Officer, Christian Ardito, for the testing.
The company is continuing tests in other forms outside the Air Force, and views this exercise as a great stepping stone in their efforts to provide a viable product to the entire branch for utilization in U.S. defense – wherever that may be. StarNav is grateful for their invitation to test at Edwards and looks forward to more opportunities in the months to come.
To read more about StarNav’s testing last month at Edward’s Air Force Base, please view the original article: Have 5tarboy: USAF Test Pilot School’s Test Management Project utilizes new GPS system for better navigation guidance > Edwards Air Force Base > News
ABOUT UNITED STATES AIR FORCE TEST PILOT SCHOOL
Located at the edge of the Mojave Desert in Southern California, the United States Test Air Force Test Pilot School (USAF TPS) enjoys the perfect environment for conducting flight test education and development. Clear flying conditions nearly every day of the year, combined with the Air Force Flight Test Center resources, makes Edwards Air Force Base a great training location. Since its creation in 1944, the school has produced an elite list of roughly 3260 graduates. To learn more about TPS, please visit their website: U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School (af.mil)
ABOUT STARNAV
StarNav provides hardware and software solutions enabling safe, reliable positioning and timing. StarNav’s products convert terrestrial and low Earth orbit satellite signals into reliable positioning and timing information, working even when GPS fails. Learn more at www.starnav.io or follow StarNav on LinkedIn @StarNav. If you have any questions, please contact info@starnav.io.
