Assured PNT
Iridium's PNT ASIC Chip Now Available, Protecting Critical Infrastructure From GPS/GNSS Jamming
Anonymous
Key Points
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The May 2026 in-flight jamming incident involving UK Defence Secretary John Healey highlights real-world operational risks to GNSS-dependent systems, underscoring the urgency of assured PNT solutions like Iridium's PNT ASIC.
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A 2019 NIST-sponsored study estimated that GPS outages could cost the U.S. economy about $1 billion per day, illustrating the potential economic impact of GNSS disruption and the value of secure alternatives.
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Iridium’s Vector-PNT hardware is said to include continuous confidence scoring, designed to perpetually evaluate whether a reported position and timing can be trusted rather than accepting single-position fixes at face value.
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Dr. Michael O’Connor, Executive Vice President of PNT at Iridium, said that with commercial availability the company is enabling trusted timing and location capabilities to be integrated into smaller, more efficient designs, expanding access to assured PNT.
Iridium Communications has made its PNT ASIC chip commercially available, marking what the company calls a first-to-market solution to protect GPS-dependent devices from jamming and spoofing attacks. The chip — just 8 by 8 millimeters and weighing under 0.2 grams — pulls cryptographically secure timing and location data directly from the Iridium satellite network, according to Market Screener.
Since its October 2025 unveiling, interest has surged. More than 150 organizations across maritime, aviation, unmanned systems, and telecom sectors have expressed demand, according to Bis Infotech. A 2019 NIST-sponsored study found GPS outages could cost the U.S. economy roughly $1 billion per day — a figure that gives urgent context to the chip's launch.
What the PNT ASIC Does and Why It Matters
GPS and GNSS signals are easy targets. Jamming blocks them outright. Spoofing feeds fake location data to receivers. Both threats are growing. Iridium's chip fights back by using one-way signal bursts from its satellite constellation to deliver timing and location data that bypasses GNSS entirely, according to SDxCentral.
The chip continuously checks signal integrity. It does not just give you a position fix — it scores how much you can trust that fix. Iridium calls this continuous confidence scoring. It works anywhere on Earth, even where GNSS signals are blocked or faked, according to Smart Maritime Network.
Real-World Jamming Threats Prove the Urgency
The threat is not theoretical. In May 2026, UK Defence Secretary John Healey's aircraft experienced in-flight GPS jamming — a high-profile reminder that GNSS disruptions hit military and civilian systems alike. Financial markets, power grids, and telecom networks all depend on precise GPS timing to function.
Critical infrastructure is especially exposed. Banks use GPS to timestamp trades. Power grids use it to sync electricity flows. A single day of GPS failure, NIST researchers estimated, could wipe out $1 billion from the U.S. economy. Iridium's chip is aimed squarely at closing that vulnerability, according to Bis Infotech.
Solace Communications Among First Adopters
Solace Communications plans to embed the Iridium PNT ASIC into its Vector resilient PNT hardware. That device pairs the chip with multi-band GNSS, inertial sensing, LTE, and Iridium short-burst data for secure telemetry and messaging, according to Market Screener.
The pairing is designed so that if GNSS fails, the system keeps working. Iridium's chip fills the gap with verified satellite timing. It is an example of how the ASIC is built to slot into existing hardware rather than replace it, making adoption easier for device makers across sectors.
Smaller Chips, Broader Reach as Iridium Scales Up
Dr. Michael O'Connor, Iridium's Executive Vice President of PNT, said commercial availability means the company is enabling "trusted timing and location capabilities to be integrated into smaller, more efficient designs, expanding access to assured PNT." The sub-0.2-gram form factor is small enough to fit inside drones, handsets, and IoT sensors.
The 150-plus organizations already in line span maritime, unmanned systems, aviation, and telecom, according to SDxCentral. Iridium is positioning the chip as essential infrastructure — not just a product upgrade — for any system that cannot afford to be fooled or blinded by GPS interference.
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