# SandboxAQ flight-tests AQNav quantum navigation on Northrop Grumman's Lumberjack drone

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/stories/sandboxaq-flight-tests-aqnav-quantum-navigation-on-northrop-grumman-s-0c7187fb
Date: 9 Sep 2026
About: [SandboxAQ](https://technooptimist.io/companies/sandboxaq.md) · [AQNav](https://technooptimist.io/quantum/aqnav.md)
Original source: https://www.sandboxaq.com/press/sandboxaq-completes-successful-flight-test-of-aqnavs-quantum-navigation-technology-on-northrop-grummans-lumberjack-r-attritable-unmanned-aircraft-system-uas

SandboxAQ says its AQNav magnetic navigation software flew on Northrop Grumman's Lumberjack attritable drone, a low-cost unmanned aircraft. The company calls it the first reported magnetic navigation test on a platform of this class, and says it works without satellite signals.

## Key facts

- AQNav uses measurements of the Earth's magnetic field to keep an aircraft's position, so it does not depend on GPS or any transmitted signal.
- The release says the system was paired with visual navigation on the drone, which it calls the first reported pairing of the two on an attritable one-way attack platform.
- SandboxAQ says its engineers installed the AQNav software into existing systems in less than an hour.
- No contract with Northrop Grumman is mentioned; the test is part of the Defense Innovation Unit's Transition of Quantum Sensing program, which is evaluating AQNav against defense use cases.

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