Redundant Gimbal-less Navigation and Positioning System

To address the USSOCOM need for an innovative alternate means or a redundant aircraft positioning and navigation system to operate in GPS-denied areas, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposed, and in Phase I successfully developed and demonstrated the feasibility of, a new Redundant Gimbal-less Navigation and Positioning (REGINA) system, including the Star Navigation System (SNS), Terrestrial Navigation System (TNS), and Self-Mixing Interferometry Navigation System (SMINS), together providing precise all-weather, all-altitude, day/night navigation and positioning of aircraft with GPS-like accuracy in GPS-denied areas. The developed system is based on a novel design that utilizes a blend of POC-developed and commercial off-the-shelf components. As a result, REGINA offers position estimates similar to those of existing precision navigation systems, while being compact, lightweight, and inexpensive. In Phase I, POC demonstrated the feasibility of REGINA through extensive computer modeling and simulation, and combinations of laboratory and field tests of critical components. In Phase II, POC plans to continue development of the system, build a system-level prototype, perform extensive testing, and demonstrate precise navigation similar to that of the DoDs GPS according to their requirements, specifications, and application scenarios.