Q-CTRL Quantum Navigation On Display At Farnborough Airshow

Over 1,500 daily commercial flights are disrupted by GPS interference, creating a critical need for resilient backup systems, and Q-CTRL will showcase its solution at the Farnborough International Airshow. The company reports it is the first to achieve safety-of-flight qualification under the RTCA DO-160 airworthiness standard with Ironstone Opal, a quantum navigation system validated to maintain positioning accuracy better than 0.3 nautical miles for 95% of a flight. Named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025, Ironstone Opal does not rely on external satellite signals, offering a safeguard against jamming and spoofing. “Just over a year ago we transformed quantum technology from a lab curiosity into a real solution to one of the aviation sector’s most pressing problems – GPS denial,” said Q-CTRL CEO and Founder Michael J., highlighting the company’s accelerated path to commercializing quantum technologies.

Ironstone Opal Achieves DO-160 Airworthiness Qualification for Flight

Ironstone Opal is the first quantum navigation system to meet the rigorous RTCA DO-160 airworthiness standard, a crucial step demonstrating its viability for use in commercial aviation. This qualification follows successful field trials across air, land, and maritime environments, validating the system’s performance in real-world conditions. This achievement is particularly timely given the escalating disruption to air travel caused by GPS interference; over 1,500 flights are affected daily, prompting calls for robust backup systems from industry bodies like IATA and EASA. Unlike traditional satellite-based navigation, Ironstone Opal utilizes quantum sensing, rendering it immune to jamming and spoofing. Validated in flight, the system maintains positioning accuracy better than 0.3 nautical miles for 95% of a flight duration, exceeding the required navigation performance (RNP 0.3) standard for critical phases of commercial flight. Q-CTRL confirms the system is also ITAR-free, enabling global deployment without restrictions. Biercuk.

The company will showcase Ironstone Opal, including a new under-1 kilogram variant for unmanned aerial vehicles, at the Farnborough International Airshow, demonstrating its commitment to delivering commercially viable quantum technologies. The potential economic impact of GPS denial is estimated at £1 billion per day for the UK, so the availability of this technology represents a significant advancement for aviation safety and resilience.

The increasing vulnerability of global navigation systems is driving rapid innovation in alternative technologies, with quantum navigation emerging as a promising solution. Currently, over 1,500 commercial flights each day experience disruption due to GPS interference, a figure that highlights the urgent need for resilient backups extending beyond military applications into civilian airspace. Biercuk. The company will be the sole dedicated quantum technology exhibitor at the Farnborough International Airshow, showcasing not only the established system but also a new, under 1kg UAV variant designed for NATO class II+ surveillance drones, demonstrating a commitment to cross-platform deployment and a first-mover advantage in this critical field.

This qualification allows for deployment in environments where GPS signals are unavailable or unreliable, a capability increasingly vital given the rise of electronic warfare and GPS jamming incidents in regions like Ukraine and the Persian Gulf. Biercuk. Q-CTRL also highlights the system’s ITAR-free status, facilitating global deployment without restrictions, and offers compact form factors, including a new under-one-kilogram variant for unmanned aerial vehicles.