Research
Navy lab software lets drones land on moving ships without GPS
Engineers at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division's maritime autonomy lab flew a tactical drone that completed mission tasks and landed on a pitching ship at sea without GPS or a pilot. Onboard cameras recognize the ship's shape while control software predicts the deck's motion. The Navy plans fleet testing and larger drones next. The work was funded by the Naval Innovative Science and Engineering Program and the Office of Naval Research.
Illustration: Autonomy Wire (AI-generated)
Why it matters
GPS jamming is now assumed in any contested fight, and recovering an aircraft on a moving deck is the hardest part of shipboard drone operations. A camera-based landing that works without satellite fixes removes one of the main reasons the Navy has kept humans in the loop for recovery.