The facility will be dedicated to scaling manufacturing, engineering, support and servicing of inertial navigation systems (INS) for GNSS-denied environments. The announcement follows the launch of the Boreas 50 series, a compact fibre-optic gyroscope INS designed for reliable navigation in modern battlefields.
Grace Hynd, Chief Operating Officer of Advanced Navigation, said, “This major expansion is a direct response to the growing demand for GNSS-denied navigation technology – driven by escalating electronic warfare threats, GNSS jamming and spoofing, and the critical need for resilient autonomy on the battlefield.” She added, “The UK PNT Centre of Excellence is the blueprint for our international expansion and the first of our planned onshore facilities across Europe and the United States. Each centre will allow us to collaborate directly with regional defence and technology leaders, building sovereign capability from within our allied nations. This is essential to deliver the resilient navigation systems demanded by the current security climate.”
Selection of the UK site is under way, with factors including technical talent, logistics and proximity to an international airport taken into account. The final location will be confirmed in late 2025, with further centres planned in early 2026.
“With close proximity to major defence and aerospace powerhouses, as well as access to skilled specialists in optics and precision manufacturing, the UK is the perfect launchpad to meet the unprecedented need for our technology, while ensuring compliance with local security standards,” said Hynd.
Over the past year, the company has doubled its workforce and expanded its manufacturing capacity to meet rising defence sector demand. Establishing international PNT centres forms part of its next phase of growth, with plans to double its team again in the next 12 months.
Advanced Navigation said the investment will strengthen supply chains through partnerships with regional innovators in sensing technologies, including optical gyroscopes, MEMS, LiDAR, radar, vision-based and acoustic Doppler systems. By integrating these technologies, the company aims to deliver resilient multi-sensor navigation in GNSS-contested environments.
The expansion is also intended to support NATO operational needs by embedding Advanced Navigation within European and US industrial and innovation ecosystems. The company said this will enhance resilience, create jobs, and reduce integration time and costs across NATO platforms on land, sea and air.
