U.S.A.F. Tests New Navigation Software on Osprey MK III Drone

An Osprey MK III unmanned aerial system (UAS) cut across the skies above Duke Field, north of Eglin Air Force Base, last week during a key Air Force navigation test.

The seven-foot, 50-pound drone, sounding like a weed eater engine at ground level, was used to evaluate alternative navigation software designed to operate without relying on vulnerable GPS signals.

The flights were part of trials led by the Autonomy, Data, and AI Experimentation Proving Ground (ADAX), in collaboration with AFWERX, the U.S. Air Force’s innovation arm. The event marked the first time the Osprey MK III flew with a third-party developer’s software package installed and operational.

“The Autonomy Proving Ground is giving small businesses the opportunity to compete in acquisition without requiring them to fund any of their own testing,” said Anthony Hix of the 413th Flight Test Squadron, who oversaw the trials.

The initiative focuses on providing aircraft and weapons with internal GPS estimation tools that remain functional even in environments where external signals are jammed or spoofed. In the test, the MK III took off under manual control before switching to autonomous mode, relying solely on the new navigation software to guide its flight. Cameras and data systems tracked the drone to ensure accuracy and safety.

According to Hix, the long-term aim is to give the Air Force a lightweight, low-power, and cost-effective capability to operate in denied environments. The trials also support AFWERX’s Autonomy Proving Ground Fly-Offs, which offer companies a low-cost platform to demonstrate new navigation technologies with official Air Force test validation.

“This type of Fly-Off provides small businesses the opportunity to vet their alternative navigation systems in a black-box test environment,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Gilbert, AFWERX Prime division chief. “It enables an experimental approach that is replicable across systems, truly allowing us to measure each system’s performance.”

The effort is part of the Autonomy Prime Environment for Experimentation (APEX), which began testing in 2023, aimed at accelerating adoption of emerging navigation technologies for both defense and commercial use.