Miniature High-Altitude Precision Navigation Alternative

ABSTRACT:Todays advanced precision guided weapons rely on GPS/INS-based solutions to provide accurate navigation data, enabling the munition to adjust its path to reach the target.While this approach is effective when GPS is available, new approaches are needed that can achieve accurate navigation when operating in a GPS-denied environment.In response, vendors are developing new navigation-aiding sensors and improving the performance of existing sensors.However, there is currently no systematic method to evaluate tradeoffs in navigation accuracy with different sensor combinations for different scenarios, and therefore no systematic method for the Government to rapidly determine how best to invest limited budgets to achieve mission requirements.Under this effort, we will build a navigation simulation tool that enables such tradeoffs in sensor accuracies, navigation filters, and other components of an overall systems solution.Standard interfaces allow sensor models and other components to be easily plugged into the system.Parameters and scenarios are defined via external files, allowing the user to perform trade studies on sensor capabilities without code modification.BENEFIT:The navigation simulation tool will be a product that missile system developers and Government evaluators can use to quantify the benefits of new or improved sensors, navigation filters, or other navigation components for high altitude munitions, thereby directing development efforts in a manner that is most beneficial to the end solution.This has applicability not only to munitions, but also to UAVs and manned systems.It also has commercial potential for supersonic transport, and space applications.