Image-based Navigation for Shipboard Landing (ImageNav-SL)

Autonomous landing of a Vertical Takeoff and Landing Unmanned Air Vehicle (VTUAV), such as Fire Scout, on the deck of a moving ship requires a precise and accurate ship-relative navigation solution. The existing automated landing system, consisting of ship-based radar equipment and airborne transponder equipment that utilizes round-trip Radio Frequency (RF) characteristics to determine relative position, is prone to component failure as well as unavailability of the required RF spectrum issues that may require abandoning an expensive asset at sea. Image-based Navigation for Shipboard Landing (ImageNav-SL) system can act as a backup or replacement for the existing radar -based solution and enables recovery in the aforementioned scenarios. ImageNav-SL system generates ship-relative navigation estimates for its onboard guidance and control system during the final approach and terminal landing phases. ImageNav-SL uses existing visual landing aids on the ship deck and does not require any ship-to-platform synchronous datalink or GPS. In Phase-I, ImageNav-SL was developed using advanced computer vision methods and its feasibility successfully demonstrated. Phase II will expand on the concept design to specify a detailed system HW/SW design and test a prototype implementation using data collects and real-time open-loop flight tests using Northrop Grumman Corporation (NGC) Fire Scout test assets.