Five men in a room on the outskirts of Boston believe they can change the world. It is described as “American ingenuity in action,” according to team leader and CEO Kanwar Singh.
Singh’s optimism in a turbulent world is bred from the words of former President John F. Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Singh serves his country, whether as a captain in the U.S. Army (Massachusetts National Guard) or while leading the 100% American-owned, Massachusetts-based company Skyline Nav AI, Inc.
He founded the company in 2020, in the middle of a global pandemic and prior to the global conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza and the wider Middle East. The Harvard-educated Singh saw during his own time in service that foreign threats were already becoming more sophisticated. Over the past 12 months, he has spent time with partners and allies in places like Ukraine, Taiwan, Latvia, Poland and the UAE, saying, “You can feel the future of warfare in the air.”
Specifically, his concerns were derived from the impact of the Global Positioning System (GPS), not just in warfare but in everyday life. A technology used by billions of people has, like any other modern device or invention, its drawbacks.
That is what precipitated the founding of Skyline Nav AI, and on a more granular level its Pathfinder technology that aims to create a world less reliant on GPS technology that can be easily manipulated by adversaries and nefarious actors.
“When things get hard, when a computer vision model doesn’t work, when a drone crashes during a field test, when the easy answer is to give up—we think about Marines in Fallujah in 2004, clearing street by street under fire, against IEDs and RPGs, and still pushing through,” Singh said. “We think about a nation that once looked up at the moon, heard ‘impossible’ and then did it anyway, and brought every astronaut home in the 1960s.”
Singh, although head of the company, is the lowest paid member of his team. It’s deliberate, he said, with the intention of capitalizing on his equity interest in the company in the future. As the work continues, so do his and his colleagues’ efforts.
This gives me the greatest joy—when people can get employment opportunities and come to work, have fun and also make a meaningful career out of it.
I spent time with Singh and his team in the greater Boston area, seeing “American ingenuity in action.”
GPS: The $100 Billion Failure Point
“What happens when that blue dot that we take for granted on Google Maps disappears?” Singh asked me, talking about GPS failures inside a room marginally larger than a typical New York City apartment.
Such technology has been ubiquitous for roughly two decades, he noted, operating from satellites some 12,000 miles away that don’t always provide the strongest signal.
A 2019 study commissioned by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) found that GPS at that time had generated approximately $1.4 trillion in U.S. economic private sector benefits since civilians started using it in the 1980s. Singh and his team adjusted that study for inflation, finding that a global blackout today would result in roughly $100 billion in losses in the first 30 days, with $57 billion of that hit occurring in the U.S. alone.
“Just imagine if GPS disappeared in large swaths of the world,” he said. “Most commercial aircraft are primarily reliant on GPS. There'll be massive flight cancellation and disruptions. There could also be collisions happening because people are generally using GPS for collision avoidance and instrument landings."
If that blue dot disappears, it's going to be catastrophic from an aviation standpoint. But also think of first responders and public safety personnel.
Police, firefighters and paramedics would have difficulty finding addresses and citizens in peril. Rideshare apps that rely solely on such signals from space would be negatively impacted. Package deliveries or routine commutes through tunnels and dense urban areas would be flung back decades, returning to a time before the convenience of digital navigation.
Russia has even caused domestic worries in the U.S. over its reported development of nuclear weapons to be deployed in space, which Singh warned if ever occurred could blow up the United States’ GPS constellation and result in space debris that can have negative implications “not for decades, but for centuries.”
“When you talk about the more complicated, more automated stuff, it's a single point of failure,” Singh said. “Companies have sort of said, ‘Hey, GPS is always there. It's free, thanks to the generosity of American taxpayers. Let's just use it.’ So, our entire civilization has been built on GPS.”
Hence, Singh and his team developed Pathfinder as a GPS-independent navigation system.
Pathfinder and GPS Jamming
Pathfinder is useful for a world that wants to move beyond just using GPS.
The GPS-independent, “plug-and-play” software technology uses computer vision algorithms and different datasets to help drones, ground vehicles, boats and aircraft navigate effectively without the reliance on GPS, cellular signals or Wi-Fi on air, land or sea.
Pathfinder Edge, a hardware navigation unit that runs the Pathfinder software, is available for adoption for under $1,000 as opposed to the tens of thousands of dollars other companies are charging today for similar technology.
To our knowledge, no one else has this capability that works on both land and air anywhere else on the planet. We truly consider this as a crown jewel for the United States and our allies.
Pathfinder Edge can take inputs from onboard cameras and Inertial Measurement Units (IMU), the latter an electronic sensor that can measure force, angles and track motion.
Skyline Nav AI let me hold Pathfinder Edge, easily able to fit in the palm of my hand. Researchers said that one of these units, part of a relatively entry-level system, can provide a position that's generally accurate within a few meters after GPS loss.
Skyline Nav AI’s customers and partners include but are not limited to the U.S. Air Force, NASA, U.S. Army, BAE Systems, Kearfott Corporation, MassChallenge, MIT and Cornell University.
The real-world impact of tech like Pathfinder is to eliminate, or at the very least minimize, the impacts brought about by GPS jamming—which is used by criminals or during military operations to “jam” or interrupt GPS signals that overpower satellite signals.
In essence, it causes confusion and can lead to fragility in intense military campaigns, such as in Eastern Ukraine where the practice has become commonplace.
Singh analogized jamming with showing up to a symphony orchestra and someone intentionally drowning out all the notes. Jammers today, while illegal, can be purchased on black markets or even on sites like eBay.
The act itself dates back to the Cold War and how the former Soviet Union ushered in a new era of electronic warfare that received retaliation from the United States, with its own technologies. To adjust, the Soviets, and later the Russians, developed jamming tech to attempt to stay ahead of the U.S.
Fast forward to the Russia-Ukraine war that began in February 2022, and Russia continued its jamming activities as a military tactic but also as a method of self-preservation.
“Russia knew that they couldn't fight against the U.S. and NATO,” Singh said. “The U.S. and NATO supplied munitions directly to the Ukrainians, but [Russia] knew that the single piece of failure that these things had was the fact they were all reliant on GPS.
“And so Russia, to their credit, has been using electronic warfare quite significantly in the current Ukraine conflict. But if we actually take a step back, believe it or not…at the height of the conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, there was electronic warfare happening against our troops.”
If you “connect the dots,” Singh said, electronic warfare technologies were likely supplied to Al-Qaeda and ISIS by our adversaries.
Just last August, a plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was jammed while landing in Bulgaria. The incident led to fingers being pointed at Russia.
Jamming vs. Spoofing
Threats pertain to both jamming and spoofing, with the differences indicated in their names.
Jamming refers to intentional actions aimed to corrupt GPS signals and prevent individuals or otherwise to garner necessary access. Spoofing, on the other hand, is more of a deception technique that utilizes fake signals, causing receivers to have the wrong data.
Singh recalled what occurred last summer, at the height of the 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel, when people woke up in Israel and opened Google Maps only to discover the app was showing they were in Lebanon, Syria or other countries as Israel was spoofing its own GPS signals.
“So, if they were under attack from Iranian drones or missiles, they wouldn't land on target with Israel spoofing GPS signals in its region,” he said. “This is real-world stuff. It's kind of crazy what we are seeing these days.”
It’s even extended to the U.S.-Mexico border, according to Singh, where drug cartels are trying to throw off domestic law enforcement. “We are grossly unprepared as a country and civilization for this level of activity,” he said.
But what happens if jamming does occur? Well, it can actually be reversed. As a team researcher who requested anonymity told me, “You go find the jammer and you tell them to turn it off kindly, and if they don't turn it off kindly, you go in guns blazing.”
Navigating the GPS-Denied Environment
“GPS is such an amazing, strong technology that it's really, I would say, impossible to compete with that,” Stephan Koehler, a staff engineer at Skyline Nav AI, told me. “But there are situations where we can do as well as GPS.
“And as we develop our algorithms, our sensors, we're pushing those frontiers further and further so that we can operate in GPS-denied environments.”
That includes being able to better find positions, such as in dim or nighttime conditions with the aid of affordable infrared cameras. Other frontiers being pushed include detection in areas with very sparse objects, he said.
Koehler, who formerly taught physics at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, showed me a real-time computer visualization of how inputting different datasets in various conditions can help better develop predictive models for GPS-independent navigation.
Visual systems rely on both software and hardware. That’s when electronics procurement and supply chains, obviously in addition to costs, come into play.
“We are developing smart algorithms for low-cost platforms on the edge,” Koehler said. “Our target is a couple of thousand [dollars] versus tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. So, we are using off-the-shelf consumer-grade products and using advanced algorithms on the edge to build a competitive solution.
In fact, this is one of our big challenges. When I said off-the-shelf consumer-grade products, really, we also need to have a stable supply chain which does not rely upon cheap stuff coming out of Asia.
For example, Koehler and company have used components manufactured in Asia for internal testing purposes but aim to utilize U.S and allied-made components. There’s a discrepancy between product availability, delivery and cost that affects the day-to-day operations in Massachusetts and countless other locations.
“The supply chain on the nicer things is also extremely expensive and [has] extremely long lead times, like weeks,” he said. “And we operate on days, right?”
He mentioned the team’s desire to get their hands on a long-wave infrared camera that was delayed. Turns out, it’s the same technology that is being deployed on drones in the Middle East.
“Your lead time just went up from two weeks to, I want to say five, but it is probably higher,” he said about extended wait times. “So, we're right now filling in the gaps with whatever we can get.”
Koehler said their favorite supplier is Amazon because they have overnight shipping, though the issue is that most of their products are Chinese, which he described as “pretty good stuff, but it just doesn't fit with our stable supply chain model.”
Hence, they use such products for prototyping while putting in orders, waiting for the higher-quality, more expensive equipment with longer lead times.
The Downward-Looking Eye: How Pathfinder Sees and Navigates
Koehler explained that the Pathfinder Edge’s main sensor is a downwards-facing camera that recognizes landscape and motion.
The team describes it as absolute localization and visual odometry.
“So, we are downwards-looking, and based upon that, the visual, we can figure out how far we've gone and where we've gone, like the odometer on your car.” Koehler said.
They also use the accelerometers that can assist both with localization and fusion. And if or when everything goes bad, the IMUs can be used for dead reckoning, which alludes to calculating present positions based on past positioning.
“But the issue with dead reckoning, especially for IMUs, is that the drift or error grows quadratically with time,” Koehler said.
He explained that as time passes, the inaccuracy doesn't just grow but accelerates. If the system is off by a certain amount after one minute, that error doesn't just double by minute two; it quadruples. By minute four, the error has surged to 16 times its original size.
A video tutorial was presented, showing a split-screen matching more dynamic earthly features and images with those from satellites. Drones used in the team’s research can essentially store images that are relayed onto a hard drive.
It’s certainly not without its snags. For example, Koehler noted how out-of-date satellite images make it difficult to geolocate. Also, terrain with no objects (think roads, structures, trees, etc.) can be hard to navigate for cameras attached to drones. They’re also working on gathering nighttime information, though thermal technology can be tricky.
Altitude plays a role, too. Koehler said the team’s “sweet spot” for drone usage is roughly 50 to 2,000 meters, allowing footage to capture “interesting” information while not at risk of colliding into buildings or trees, etc.
Pathfinder Edge on Drones in Action
I was given exclusive access to see Pathfinder Edge in action as part of my on-site visit, escorted to an open field to experience drone testing.
There, multiple computers were set up to operate the test missions and match the team’s inputted data with the actual flight of the drone.
Different “targets” were loaded onto Pathfinder Copilot (mission control system), with drone operators picking a target or multiple targets within one mission. Within seconds of OK’ing the coordinates, I watched the drone take flight.
Singh held the remote control, waiting for his team to greenlight the mission. He toggled switches and informed everyone to heed caution ahead of the drone’s takeoff, staying at least 20 feet away as it left the ground.
“We’re taking off in 3…2...1…,” Singh said, vocally announcing the distance. He let me toggle a switch to deploy Pathfinder, electronically linking the remote controller and drone with the data input in the team’s Pathfinder Copilot that tells the drone exactly what to do.
The drone flew over its target and conducted a simulated soft drop and returned home, all done autonomously. Mission success.
Retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. John Driscoll observed the sequence, telling me that drones have changed the warfighting game that’s become a far cry since World War II and the days of air superiority tied explicitly to aircraft.
Much credit has been given to Ukraine’s Armed Forces for this ideological change.
“What Ukraine is showing is that you have to look up now,” Driscoll said. “That’s the mindset we’re teaching at the basic training level. The whole three-dimensional battlefield is maturing; the biggest thing is you have to be situationally aware, from the rifleman on top, to the commander in the rear."
Keep the idea that you don’t want to expose your troops.
While described as great, Driscoll added that drones are just another warfighting “tool” that requires self-recognition on behalf of one unit or nation’s forces, along with the wherewithal that adversaries are in many instances using the same or similar technology.
Ukraine and the Acceleration of Innovation
For Driscoll, who served 33 years in the Army and retired in 2022, conversations about drones’ efficacy have been commonplace dating back to 2015.
He said that since, the technology and knowledge of drones has “been evolving, but Ukraine has just accelerated that.”
“When Russia attacked, Ukraine immediately knew what they needed to do to counteract force because they can’t outlast them in terms of manpower and material. But it’s the human dimension of combat that is the most dynamic, and that’s leadership—the right people, in the right place, at the right time to counteract the odds against them,” he said.
The U.S. is a little “behind” on drone production amid its larger defense supply chain, Driscoll added, though he believes the Trump administration’s acceleration of the industry coupled with a more robust industrial base can pay dividends for the U.S. military in the future.
Singh’s team brings together three generations (Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X) to develop this technology. Driscoll, a baby boomer, views this collaboration as a "legacy mindset" in action: a project driven by national interest rather than personal gain or corporate profit.
He compared it to a mantra for startups: “If you’re going to fail, fail fast and move on to the next thing.”
“That’s what you need, that freedom to create,” Driscoll said. “It’s a balance. You want to have initiative come up and try to make it work, get all those good ideas and pull them together. At the same time, you’re eventually going to have to decide on what the standard is.”
A New Era of American Advancement
All that is to say, progress will only be made if there’s an appetite for it along with the right people overseeing such advancements.
Singh said that newer models and concepts are not separate but synonymous with traditional methods of military thinking. He said that in years prior, companies and even the military itself were “shooting in the dark” about how to get these newer technologies from the cutting-room floor to the assembly line.
“We did not have these skillsets at all,” Singh said. “Four or five years ago, you could not find a single American-made flight controller and electronic speed controllers. Those are critical components that go in drones like that.”
Calling supply chain woes a “big issue” for just about every company in this particular manufacturing space, he said Skyline Nav AI is taking matters into its own hands by building its own components after ensuring prototypes are functional.
Or, it may include working with other U.S. companies or allied nations to outsource manufacturing.
“But now, thanks to the collaboration happening across the industry, requests and desire and demand for the U.S. military saying ‘We want these technologies,’ that is now creating a demand signal for markets and companies like ourselves to invest in this,” he added.
Skyline Nav AI is being rewarded for its business prowess.
After debuting its Pathfinder Edge at TechCrunch in October 2025 in San Francisco, the successes continue. Pathfinder Edge has been successfully fielded across multiple use cases.
Earlier this month, Pathfinder won second place and “crowd favorite" at the 2026 MIT-Harvard Technology & National Security Conference Pitch Competition held in Cambridge, Mass.
Singh also wrote a book, Recalculating: Life When GPS Goes Dark, to expound on his concerns regarding nefarious actors and how they can cause potential calamities in the future.
The vulnerabilities Singh explores in Recalculating are real, but with Pathfinder Edge, they are solvable. From the palm of a hand to the cockpit of an aircraft, Skyline Nav AI is delivering a level of resilience that was once the stuff of science fiction.
As the global landscape becomes increasingly complex, Pathfinder stands as a testament to American ingenuity: a system so robust, so precise and so integrated that you’ll forget it’s even there.
Because, in the end, the most powerful tools aren't the ones you see; they’re the ones you can implicitly trust.
“The best technology,” Singh says, “is the kind that disappears.”
