Introduction
Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) technologies are at the core of every moving defence platform across all domains – from land vehicles and ships to aircraft, satellites, missiles, and swarming drones.
The CapTech GNC is the European hub where experts from governments, industry and academia collaborate to advance these critical technologies. Its broad scope spans from resilient navigation systems and advanced sensors to autonomous control algorithms for both manned and unmanned platforms.
The CapTech supports Europe’s defence capabilities by enabling more precise, autonomous, and reliable operation of military systems – strengthening both operational effectiveness and Europe’s strategic autonomy.
Technology Building Blocks
CapTech GNC’s activities are structured around eight Technology Building Blocks (TBBs) – key focus areas that guide its research and innovation priorities. These TBBs tackle the most pressing challenges in defence mobility, autonomy, and precision:
- Navigation in GNSS-denied environments: enabling robust navigation without reliance on satellite signals, especially in underground, underwater, or contested zones, under hostile electronic warfare conditions.
- Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) superiority and integration in operations and systems: ensuring secure, resilient, and integrated navigation and timing across defence platforms, increasing the resilience of space-based system.
- Guidance and control in challenged environments: improving manoeuvrability and control in complex, cluttered, or urban operational settings.
- Autonomous and automated GNC and decision-making techniques for manned and unmanned systems: advancing autonomy and intelligent control for defence platforms.
- Fault-tolerant control: ensuring systems remain operational and safe even in the presence of faults or failures.
- Multi-robot control and cooperation: enabling coordinated operations among heterogeneous unmanned systems, including swarming behaviours.
- Precision guidance and control of weapons: enhancing the accuracy and effectiveness of guided munitions and weapon systems.
- Key enabling and performance-enhancing GNC technologies: miniaturising and improving sensors and actuators to meet platform constraints and enable advanced applications, including quantum navigation.
These TBBs span from practical field testing, such as navigation warfare scenarios, to advanced research in quantum sensing and AI-driven control, ensuring CapTech GNC remains at the forefront of defence innovation.
Link to EDA’s Capability Domains
CapTech GNC’s technology advances support all five EDA capability domains:
- Land: GNC innovations enable autonomous ground vehicles, mobile robots, and advanced soldier systems to navigate with precision and safety.
- Air: These technologies enhance the control, manoeuvrability, and autonomy of manned and unmanned aircrafts, including drones and guided missiles.
- Maritime: Advances in guidance and navigation improve the safe and efficient operation of naval vessels, submarines, and unmanned underwater vehicles.
- Space: the CapTech’s research ensures secure and reliable satellite navigation and control, vital for both communication and mission success.
- Cyber: robust timing and positioning systems strengthen command-and-control networks and protect cyber operations against interference.
By aligning with all these domains, CapTech GNC enhances the effectiveness, autonomy, and resilience of European defence assets—from guided artillery and missiles to drones, robots, submarines, and soldier systems—ensuring enhanced performance and survivability across all operational domains.
Join the CapTechTechnology Building Blocks
CapTech GNC meets three times per year. The CapTech also organises additional workshops on specific topics such as autonomy or navigation resilience. Members stay connected through EDA’s secure collaborative workspace. The CapTech GNC community welcomes experts from EDA Member States’ governments, industry and research institutions.
You can request to join the CapTech by contacting the moderator. Membership as a Governmental Expert (CGE) or non-Governmental Expert (CnGE) is subject to approval by the respective National Coordinator (CNC).
If you are interested in participating in CapTech GNC or attending its meetings, contact
[email protected].