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Ground Control has launched RockBLOCK APNT, a compact positioning and timing board that gives UAV, USV and autonomous-system manufacturers an independent source of position and precise timing from Iridium PNT.
It tackles a weakness that GNSS-dependent vehicles cannot solve on their own. When GNSS is jammed or spoofed, a vehicle relying on it alone has no independent way to tell that its position is wrong, and no second source to fall back on.
During controlled spoofing tests at Jammertest 2026, the GNSS position began to diverge from the vehicle’s known route while the Iridium-derived position remained stable. The difference between the two sources became detectable within one second, while RockBLOCK APNT continued to provide valid Iridium PNT position updates throughout the spoofing test with no loss of service.
RockBLOCK APNT gives developers and OEMs direct access to Iridium positioning, navigation and timing (PNT), providing a source of position and precise UTC-referenced timing that can be used alongside GNSS and other navigation inputs.
Iridium PNT is designed to address both jamming and spoofing. Its signal is approximately 1,000 times stronger than standard GPS/GNSS signals, making it resilient against jamming, while authenticated and cryptographically protected signals provide a spoof-resistant alternative position source.
RockBLOCK APNT builds on Ground Control’s work with RockFLEET Assured, its maritime assured position, navigation and timing (A-PNT) system already being used by merchant vessels operating in GNSS-contested areas of the Middle East.
Where RockFLEET Assured is a complete maritime system, RockBLOCK APNT packages the Iridium PNT ASIC into a compact board for integration into UAVs, USVs, robotics and other autonomous platforms.
The board measures 59 × 36.5 × 7.7 mm and weighs 10 g. It can be powered and connected over USB-C for initial evaluation and is supplied with an approved antenna, giving developers a known-good RF setup from the outset.
For embedded integration, the same board can be powered from 3.3 V and provides LVTTL UART alongside SPI, I²C, UART and GPIO interfaces.
RockBLOCK APNT is receive-only and does not contain its own GNSS receiver. It provides Iridium PNT information to the host system, allowing manufacturers to compare it against GNSS, monitor integrity, trigger alerts or incorporate it into their own fallback logic.
