High-End Tactical Grade Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Technology for Missile Defense

Missile defense weapons require compact, tactical-grade Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) that can operate through stressing environments of vibration, shock and nuclear radiation. For this proposed effort, CDI will develop and demonstrate a compact, tactical-grade IMU which provides a better than 3x improvement in size, weight, power, and performance when compared with the benchmark IMUs traditionally used in these applications. Phase I develops the design concept and packaging of the compact IMU. Through component testing and performance analysis, Phase I establishes the feasibility of the design to achieve the required performance in the specified flight environment. Phase II completes the detailed design, fabricates two prototype units, and performs operational environment testing (e.g., temperature, shock, vibration, g-loading) to advance the design to a Technology Readiness Level (TRL-) 5 stage. Also in Phase II, we propose flying a prototype IMU on a suborbital launch vehicle to demonstrate performance in a relevant environment and advance the technology to TRL-6. Approved for Public Release 14-MDA-8047 (14 Nov 14)