Boundary Layer and Environmental Navigation Disturbance Detection (BLENDD) based Dead Reckoning for Hypersonic Vehicles

Interdisciplinary Consulting Corporation (IC2) is developing a novel dead-reckoning system for hypersonic vehicles through direct measurement of aerodynamic disturbances. By directly measuring the aerodynamic flow and pressures along the body of the aircraft, Inertial Navigation System (INS) performance can be improved in Global Positioning System (GPS)-degraded/denied environments. IC2 proposes using under-heatshield Boundary Layer Acoustic Measurement (BLAM) sensors and distributed pressure taps along the aircraft body to provide INS aid correction while enduring the high temperature and abrasive flow conditions of hypersonic flight.Ý It is proposed that the sensor suite is capable of estimating the angle of attack and sideslip, aerodynamic force disturbances, and incident wind velocities using this distributed sensor network.ÝThis system complements advances in supporting guidance technologies such as additional external referencing aids and higher performance and lower Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) inertial sensors and can enhance stability, control, and aircraft health capabilities.