ASIO, a company specializing in tactical combat technologies focused on navigation resilience and situational awareness, has been awarded a multi-million-dollar contract by a U.S. prime contractor to supply several hundred of its NOCTA optical navigation systems. The systems will support a mission-critical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) program.

The contract highlights increasing demand for Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing (APNT) capabilities, particularly in environments where Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such as GPS, are disrupted by jamming or spoofing. These conditions can significantly affect the performance and reliability of autonomous platforms operating in contested environments.

ASIO’s NOCTA system is designed to provide positioning without reliance on GPS or communications signals. According to the company, the system offers drift-free navigation and is intended for use on Group 1 and Group 2 unmanned aerial systems. It is described as a compact, low-size, weight, and power (SWaP) module that can be integrated into a variety of aerial platforms.

The system supports both daytime and nighttime operations and can be used in conjunction with onboard sensors such as LiDAR to enhance performance across different operational conditions. ASIO states that NOCTA has accumulated more than 10,000 operational hours in real-world combat missions and has been deployed in a range of environments, including snow-covered terrain, deserts, and mixed landscapes.

In a statement, ASIO Founder and CEO Tomer Malchi said the contract reflects an operational requirement for UAV systems to maintain functionality in environments where GNSS signals are compromised and communications are limited or unavailable. Eugene Mamajek, General Manager of ASIO US, noted that the agreement indicates demand within the U.S. market for deployable APNT solutions.

ASIO develops a range of defense technology aimed at enabling operational independence, including navigation systems, command and control platforms, situational awareness tools, and target acquisition technology.