Program Summary
Mission success can come down to mere millionths or billionths of a second – rendering current military systems that rely on global positioning system (GPS) timing updates inherently vulnerable. While GPS is a revolutionary capability, it is unreliable underground or under water, and it can be degraded or unavailable due to factors such as aging components, significant temperature changes, extreme environments, signal jamming or interference, or other disruptions.
To overcome these limitations, DARPA’s H6 program seeks to develop ultra-small, low-power, fieldable clocks that can maintain their microsecond timing precision for one week over an operating range of -40 to 85 degrees Celsius without GPS fixes.
When clockmaker John Harrison developed his H1 through H5 marine chronometers to compete for British Parliament’s 1714 Longitude Act prize, determining longitude was the tactical mission challenge of the era. Today, GPS denial is the most significant tactical challenge to secure positioning, navigation and timing. H6 is the spiritual successor to Harrison’s H5, aiming to eliminate GPS-timing dependency while maintaining signal assurance, pervasive security, and high-bandwidth communications. H6 is the clock Harrison would build to solve today’s tactical mission challenge of GPS denial.
To overcome these limitations, DARPA’s H6 program seeks to develop ultra-small, low-power, fieldable clocks that can maintain their microsecond timing precision for one week over an operating range of -40 to 85 degrees Celsius without GPS fixes.
When clockmaker John Harrison developed his H1 through H5 marine chronometers to compete for British Parliament’s 1714 Longitude Act prize, determining longitude was the tactical mission challenge of the era. Today, GPS denial is the most significant tactical challenge to secure positioning, navigation and timing. H6 is the spiritual successor to Harrison’s H5, aiming to eliminate GPS-timing dependency while maintaining signal assurance, pervasive security, and high-bandwidth communications. H6 is the clock Harrison would build to solve today’s tactical mission challenge of GPS denial.