Flight test crew during flight . ( Boeing photo )
The quantum navigation system addresses potential service disruptions that can arise with current GPS or other navigational systems . Its accuracy would enable aircraft on most commercial airplane routes to navigate without GPS for the entirety of the flight .
John ( Jay ) Lowell , Ph . D ., principal senior technical fellow at Boeing , serves as the department ’ s chief engineer . In August 2024 , Boeing said the team conducted a test using the six-axis quantum inertial measurement unit , or IMU . “ The six-axis quantum IMU was integrated into a full inertial navigation system and deployed on a Beechcraft 1900D for a series of flight tests .” The test lasted four hours from St . Louis Lambert International Airport in Missouri . The outcome was that the quantum sensors could operate successfully through takeoff , landing , and multiple maneuvers , Boeing reported .
Lowell , who has been with Boeing since 2012 , was instrumental in this project and has worked on quantum physics in some form for most of his career . He is a distinguished graduate with honors from the U . S . Air Force Academy and holds a Master of Science degree in physics from Ohio State University . He also has a Doctor of Science in atomic physics from the University of Virginia .
He is passionate about this topic and has dedicated his life to new technologies like atomic navigation . “ Lowell is an internationally recognized expert in systems engineering of quantum , electromagnetic , and electro-optic systems .” ( Boeing Executive Biography , August 2024 )
How does quantum navigation work ?
The IMU uses atom interferometry , a quantum sensing technique , to detect rotation and acceleration using atoms , resulting in unparalleled navigational accuracy and precision without a GPS reference .
For more information :
Boeing completes world ’ s 1st quantum navigation flight test - Boeing
DECEMBER 2024 | JANUARY 2025 ISSUE NO . 42 19