New drone targeting tech counters GPS jamming threats

As GPS jamming and spoofing become increasingly common in modern warfare, drone operators are running into a frustrating problem: the video feed may look perfectly clear, but the geographic coordinates tied to that footage can be wildly inaccurate. That issue can make precision targeting nearly impossible, a challenge defense companies are now calling “targeting paralysis.”

Now, BAE Systems and Vantor say they have developed a solution designed specifically for these contested electronic warfare environments.

The two companies have announced a new integration between BAE Systems’ Geospatial eXploitation Products, better known as GXP, and part of Vantor’s Raptor software suite. The goal is to help military and intelligence teams maintain accurate targeting data even when drones lose reliable GPS signals or are operating with degraded sensors.

The timing makes sense. Cheap unmanned aerial systems are now everywhere on the battlefield, but many of those drones rely on low-quality sensors and vulnerable satellite navigation systems. In heavily contested environments where GPS spoofing and jamming are widespread, the metadata attached to drone video feeds can drift significantly away from reality.

That creates a dangerous situation: operators may see a target clearly on screen but cannot trust the coordinates enough to take action.

Vantor’s Raptor Sync aims to fix that problem by georegistering a drone’s live video feed against detailed 3D terrain data in real time. Instead of depending entirely on GPS, the system uses vision-based positioning to determine where the drone is looking. According to the companies, the technology can achieve ground coordinate accuracy of less than three meters.

The corrected Key-Length-Value, or KLV, metadata is then injected directly back into the drone’s video stream before analysts process it inside the GXP ecosystem. In practical terms, that means intelligence teams can continue extracting highly accurate “weapon-quality” coordinates even if the drone’s onboard telemetry is compromised.

Kurt de Venecia, senior director of product development at BAE Systems GXP, says imagery alone is not enough in contested environments. “In contested environments, the sensor’s imagery and video collections are only half the battle,” de Venecia explains. “The accuracy of the data it produces is what determines mission success.”

Paul Millhouse, senior director for Raptor Products at Vantor, adds that operators cannot afford uncertainty when identifying targets in real time. “By using Raptor to correct video before it enters the GXP Ecosystem, we’re enhancing the performance of existing and new drone fleets. The result is a more resilient workflow for extracting accurate ground coordinates and maintaining operational tempo.”

Beyond military applications, the announcement also highlights a growing trend in the drone industry: moving away from total dependence on GPS. Vision-based navigation, terrain matching, and AI-powered spatial intelligence are becoming increasingly important as electronic warfare capabilities evolve globally.

The companies plan to showcase the new capabilities this week during the GXP360° Professional Exchange & Workshop in San Diego.

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