Safran Acquires Syntony, Strengthens its Position in the Resilient PNT

Safran Electronics & Defence has completed the acquisition of Syntony, a technology company founded in 2015 in Toulouse. This transaction integrates innovative technologies capable of providing precise geographic positioning when conventional systems such as GPS reach their limits. A European leader in GNSS solutions for underground environments, Syntony has developed unique expertise to ensure reliable positioning in contexts where satellite signals are unavailable.

Syntony’s technology addresses a major challenge of satellite navigation systems: the vulnerability of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) signals to physical obstacles, jamming, and interference. To tackle this, Syntony has developed several critical technologies, including:

• CRPA antennas (Controlled Reception Pattern Antenna), which make GNSS receivers less sensitive to jamming and spoofing (essential for flight safety and the protection of sensitive infrastructure).

• Software Defined Radio (SDR), a digital radio that can change function (switching from FM to Wi-Fi or GPS) through a simple software update without changing hardware, allowing it to adapt to threats or to changes in received or transmitted signals. It offers compactness and scalability, particularly suited to embedded systems and the requirements of modern operational environments.

In addition, Syntony develops GNSS receivers for next-generation satellites, particularly for low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations, further strengthening Safran Electronics & Defence’s offering in the space-based PNT and New Space sectors.

Syntony currently employs nearly 70 people across Toulouse and Paris.

For Safran Electronics & Defence, this acquisition makes it possible to offer more comprehensive equipment that is also more compact and energy-efficient, while remaining adaptable to the constant evolution of signals. These gains in weight and power consumption are essential for future civilian and military platforms (drones and counter-drone systems, missiles, aircraft, and low-orbit satellites).

Executive vice president of the defence division at Safran Electronics & Defence, Alexandre Ziegler stated: “The acquisition of Syntony enables Safran Electronics & Defence to strengthen its resilient technologies in order to support its customers in addressing the challenges of navigation in complex environments, whether aeronautical, space-based, urban, or underground.”