The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is developing means to securely spread timing and stability data across existing aircraft communication links, even when GPS is degraded or jammed.

A solicitation notice details the Precise Ensemble Network Communications Allowing Positioning (PENCAP) project that is looking to create a "network clock ensemble" able to validate multiple timing sources to keep aircraft synchronized. A "resilient dissemination network" would then be used to securely spread that timing data across existing aircraft communication links.

The idea would see a network capable of running point-to-point or hub-and-spoke network patterns capable of authenticating any nodes that join the network, allowing warfighters in the air to trace and trust every connection.

The AFRL wants the algorithm and supporting network to be capable of running via a physical device, with prospective prototypes requested to run on off-the-shelf embedded computing modules – like the open-standard 3U VPX – so the lab can more easily integrate or upgrade later.

GPS interference is becoming an increasing problem, but an even more rising concern given the current geopolitical climate. On the civil aviation side alone, an OPS Group report states that spoofing, where fake signals trick a GPS receiver into calculating a false location or time, increased by 500% in 2024 alone.

To create a potential remedy for warfighting aircraft, the agency is offering $9.3 million to support the program, an amount that would be spread through to 2029. Performance testing would span a 36-month period, with the anticipated award taking place in late February 2027. The AFRL also wants unlimited rights on technical data and software developed for the project.