ANELLO Photonics and Q-CTRL Announce Strategic Collaboration to Redefine Resilient Navigation for UAVs in GPS-Denied Environments
Partnership combines integrated silicon photonics inertial sensing with quantum magnetic navigation, targeting a $1 billion-a-day-global challenge
SANTA CLARA, Calif. and SYDNEY, March 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- ANELLO Photonics, the creator of the Silicon Photonics Optical Gyroscope (SiPhOG™) and a leader in solid-state, high-precision inertial navigation systems, and Q-CTRL, the global leader in quantum infrastructure software for real-world quantum applications, today announced a strategic collaboration to accelerate the development of resilient navigation solutions for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) designed to operate in GPS-denied and contested environments.
The partnership will integrate ANELLO's SiPhOG™ inertial navigation and measurement technology with Q-CTRL's Ironstone Opal quantum magnetic navigation capabilities, creating a multi-layered Quantum Navigation Solution (QNS) capable of delivering precise positioning even when GPS signals are degraded, jammed, or entirely unavailable.
Satellite navigation has become foundational to land, air, and sea operations across commercial and defense sectors, however vulnerabilities in Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are emerging as a critical challenge. GPS disruptions from deliberate interference, known as jamming or spoofing, pose a $1B daily threat in the U.S. alone, impacting defense missions and commercial transport and logistics operations worldwide. GPS jamming and spoofing have recently emerged as a major challenge in the Persian Gulf, impacting both military operations and shipping.
This collaboration combines two breakthrough technologies, representing the world's first silicon photonics-based inertial sensing and quantum-sensing-powered magnetic map matching integration, and paves the way for QNS to scale.
This layered approach provides a critical GNSS backup by delivering continuous, bounded positioning estimates that do not degrade with mission duration. The combined technology will define the future of resilient navigation for autonomous and mission-critical platforms operating in the world's most demanding environments.
"Reliable navigation is fundamental to autonomy, safety, and mission assurance," said Dr. Mario Paniccia, Co-Founder and CEO of ANELLO Photonics. "By combining ANELLO's proven SiPhOG-based inertial sensing with Q-CTRL's groundbreaking Ironstone Opal quantum navigation technologies, we are exploring a powerful new architecture designed to deliver resilient positioning even when GPS is unavailable or compromised."
"Our focus at Q-CTRL is on making quantum technologies useful in the real world, said Prof Michael J. Biercuk, CEO and Founder of Q-CTRL. "ANELLO has impressed us with their focus on enabling real-world missions for advanced autonomous platforms, and we're excited to combine our technologies to deliver the most advanced capabilities to our customers and the warfighters who keep us safe."
As electronic warfare capabilities evolve and autonomy expands across commercial and defense operations, resilient navigation is becoming a requirement for supporting the next generation of mobility.
Contact ANELLO Photonics and Q-CTRL to learn more.
About ANELLO Photonics
ANELLO Photonics is a leading-edge technology company based in Santa Clara, CA. The company has developed the ANELLO SiPhOG™ – Silicon Photonics Optical Gyroscope – based on integrated photonic system-on-chip technology. ANELLO's technology portfolio spans over 45 issued patents, over 38 pending patents, and also includes an AI-based sensor fusion engine. ANELLO® and SiPhOG™ are registered trademarks of ANELLO Photonics. Learn more at https://www.anellophotonics.com/.
About Q-CTRL
Q-CTRL is a global leader in quantum infrastructure software that makes quantum technology useful. Q-CTRL delivers field-deployable capabilities for navigation in GPS-denied environments based on software-ruggedized quantum sensors, with collaborators including Lockheed Martin and Airbus. Their efforts in leveraging software to solve the most challenging problems in making quantum technologies useful in the real world carry over to quantum computing, where Q-CTRL partners with industry pioneers like IBM, Rigetti, NVIDIA, and AWS to enhance quantum computer performance through AI-driven control solutions. The company's breakthroughs have been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and recognized by TIME Magazine as transforming both commercial and defense operations. Foundedin 2017 by Professor Michael J. Biercuk, Q-CTRL operates globally from offices in Sydney, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berlin, and Oxford.
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