The US Navy tested its ability to navigate at sea using astronomical positioning, instead of relying on GPS, in preparation for the scenario of the system being attacked by adversaries.
There is a copy of the book “The American Practical Navigator” by Nathaniel Bowditch, first published in 1802 on each of the US Navy ships.
This is considered an encyclopedia about navigation, filled with data on the longitude and latitude of many places, from Bugio lighthouse in Lisbon, Portugal, to Kannonzaki lighthouse in Yokosuka, Japan.
The book provides detailed instructions on how to use a hexagonal glass to measure a ship’s current position by observing the Sun, Moon, stars, and horizon. However, the presence of this book on board is only a ritual, as the US Navy has long been accustomed to using electronic charts based on GPS, Nikkei Asia said.
But the threat of electronic warfare from rivals like China, forcing the US Navy to consider the possibility of reusing the supposedly outdated navigation system, in preparation for the GPS system scenario prepares the enemy. disable.
Combining ancient and modern
In August 2020, the USS Patriot, an Avenger-class minesweeper of the US Navy stationed at the port of Sasebo, Japan, crossed a distance of 1,700 km into the western seas solely by astronomical positioning.
A pilot is using the hexagonal glass to calculate the ship’s position in the Pacific. Photo: US Navy.
Every afternoon, sailors would take a hexagonal glass, a centuries-old measuring instrument, to measure the angle of the Sun at its highest point in the day. The data will be fed into a computer program called the astronomical estimation system of latitude and longitude, also known as STELIA.
Sailors also observed the angular distances between the horizon and the Moon, the planets and the stars to calculate longitude and latitude. On the command tower, a navigation team consisting of the captain, subordinate officer and the pilot uses manual measurement data to control the ship.
Astronomical navigation has disappeared from the US Naval Academy curriculum since 2006, because it was deemed obsolete. But since 2015, the technique has been reintroduced into the program, to teach students how to measure and apply math to locate.
The re-teaching of astronomical navigation has been prompted by the acknowledgment that the US armed forces are increasingly dependent on digital systems. An attack on the GPS system that the US military is relying on, could limit the capabilities of the world’s most powerful military.
This concern becomes even more urgent as China invests heavily in electronic warfare and cyberspace.
Peter Singer, an expert at the Center for New Security of America, said the battle to kick off the next big war will take place in silence. In other words, it’s the war in cyberspace.
If digital communication was to be attacked, the US Navy would have to rely on the natural world, ears and eyes to survive, which is the reason for the return of the hexagonal glasses.
Learn how to position birds
Mr. Singer said that in addition to the astronomical navigation system dating back to the 18th century, the US should study another smarter navigation system for navigating ships, or guided missiles without relying on GPS. , similar to how birds migrate annually.
One sailor is working on calculating longitude and latitude based on Bowditch’s book. Photo: US Navy.
“The way they (the birds) move is not memorizing, it’s how they perceive Earth’s magnetic field. Some insects can do this too, so in-depth research is needed to develop a digital version of how birds move, ”says Singer.
The U.S. Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA) is pursuing the Adaptive Navigation System project, a navigation technique that can work in buildings, under dense canopy, under water and ground. This system is said to be superior to GPS.
In February, a team of scientists released a report stating that birds may have global GPS systems.
“The precise navigation of these little birds is amazing, as they move alone across the sea, across the vast desert and through extreme weather conditions is one of the long-standing mysteries. behavioral biology “, a British scientist wrote on the World Economic Forum.
This may be the answer the US military is looking for in its defense mission against electronic warfare operations by China and other adversaries.
Billy Fabian, senior analyst at data analytics firm Govini, said preparing for the scenario of digital communication disruption is crucial, given the potential confrontation with China.
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