Next Generation North Finder (NGNF)

In military operations, one of the most critical and difficult to obtain parameters is an accurate heading measurement from a SoldierÆs or systemÆs current position to a point of interest. Heading is critical in functions ranging from land navigation to indirect fire control to radar surveillance registration. Currently, warfighters are largely reliant on magnetic-based approaches, like using a lensatic compass for navigation, the M2 compass to lay a mortar section, or digital magnetic compasses (DMCs) embedded in Soldier-worn systems. The compass-based approaches are all susceptible to local magnetic interferences, like power lines or metallic objects; even a rifle or knife carried by a Soldier can swing the measurement by several degrees. This is easily enough for a mortar to miss a target or a Soldier to miss a waypoint while navigating. There is an opportunity to leverage advancements in MEMS gyroscope technology to measure heading to True North in a way that will operate in GPS-denied areas or in the presence of magnetic interference.ĀThe use of MEMS technology will enable nVision to provide a small northfinding capability that can be powered by AA/CR123 sized batteries or tied into a larger system like a radar. This Next Generation North Finding (NGNF) device would be easily carried by hand or could be mounted in the dovetail of a mortar bipod. The device is expected to provide a measurement to North with precision better than the topicÆs Threshold requirement; further sampling would converge to better than the Objective requirement.