Sydney-based manufacturer Advanced Navigation has secured a significant grant from the Australian Department of Defence to propel the nation’s sovereign manufacturing capability for photonic chips.
As the sole company producing this cutting-edge technology in Australia, Advanced Navigation aims to manufacture 45,000 photonic chips annually, marking a crucial stride in the country’s technological autonomy.
Xavier Orr, CEO and co-founder of Advanced Navigation, expressed the company’s commitment to driving technological breakthroughs with photonic chips, offering unprecedented opportunities for defence and commercial applications.
These applications span subsea operations, marine activities, robotics, aerospace, and space ventures, providing always-available, ultra-high accuracy orientation and navigation capabilities.
Orr stated, “Advanced Navigation is honoured to be a major driver of this capability, and empower technologies to safeguard national security in a time defined by technological warfare and geopolitical uncertainty.”
Under the Sovereign Industrial Capability Priority grant, Advanced Navigation has been awarded AUD 306,631 by the Department of Defence.
This grant underscores the trust placed in Advanced Navigation’s capability to deliver innovative solutions addressing the sector’s most critical and emerging needs.
According to the company, photonic chips play a pivotal role in Advanced Navigation’s fibre-optic gyroscopes (FOG) inertial navigation systems (INS), recognised globally as a critical capability for Assured Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (A-PNT).
These systems are deployed across navy, army, and air force applications, enabling autonomous capability, precise positioning, and high-value asset tracking.
As one of only four companies worldwide manufacturing strategic-grade FOG components, Advanced Navigation stands out as the sole developer of a completely digital FOG (DFOG).
The patented DFOG integrates a closed-loop FOG with digital modulation techniques and a revolutionary photonic chip, achieving higher performance and a 40 per cent reduction in size, weight, power, and cost compared to comparable products, exemplified in its Boreas range.
The Boreas X90, a product of Advanced Navigation, is slated for use by Australian satellite manufacturer Space Machines on its Orbital Servicing Vehicle.
The vehicle is scheduled to launch aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in early 2024, relying on Advanced Navigation’s technology for navigation and docking capabilities in orbit.
