Northrop Grumman details ASAF technology
Northrop Grumman is developing high speed navigation technology that will allow military aircraft and airborne weapon systems to guide themselves to targets on land or sea without using GPS satellite signals.
The All Source Adaptive Fusion (ASAF) software will enable military platforms and weapons systems to retain their sense of location, speed and direction, even when operating in denied or degraded GPS environments.
The software uses high-speed algorithms and hardware to generate navigational solutions from data gathered from a variety of sources including radar, EO/IR, light detection and ranging, star tracker, magnetometer, altimeter and other signals of opportunity.
ASAF has been tested in flight demonstrations with a number of US military offices, proving its ability to navigate aircraft safely and precisely to both fixed (land) and mobile (ship-based) locations.
In one land-based flight at the Royal Australian Air Force’s Woomera Test Range, ASAF software was demonstrated configured in an absolute navigation mode. A UAS navigated accurately from a known location to a specified location using input from a sensor package and geo-registration software to improve navigation accuracy.
The software has also been tested on a Bell 407 helicopter during flight to allow it to keep track of a vessel’s location and its own position, attitude and velocity relative to it.
Scott Stapp, vice president, applied technology, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, said: ‘Our absolute (fixed) and relative (mobile) navigation technologies will protect a wide range of critical US military missions between ships and shore from disruption by GPS denial techniques, even in adverse weather and high sea-state conditions.
‘Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; cargo delivery; all-weather targeting and strike are among the missions that would benefit from the new ‘denied GPS’ technology.’
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
You may also like
More from Digital Battlespace
-
![EID to unveil new vehicle communication system at DSEI]()
EID to unveil new vehicle communication system at DSEI
The Portuguese company’s naval communications system is in service across more than a dozen countries. It has turned to its home nation for support in developing a new vehicle based C2 system.
-
![Chess Dynamics successfully demonstrates Vision4ce AI-driven tracker]()
Chess Dynamics successfully demonstrates Vision4ce AI-driven tracker
The Vision4ce Deep Embedded Feature Tracking (DEFT) technology software is designed to process video and images by blending traditional computer vision with artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to present actionable information from complex environments.
-
![Wave Relay devices cleared for security use on commercial systems in industry trend]()
Wave Relay devices cleared for security use on commercial systems in industry trend
Persistent Systems has been cleared by National Security Agency (NSA) to transmit sensitive data on commercial networks. The devices are added to the NSA’s Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) component list which also includes other companies’ products providing the same security.
-
![UK teases cyber spending boost in Strategic Defence Review ahead of “imminent” release]()
UK teases cyber spending boost in Strategic Defence Review ahead of “imminent” release
The release of the UK’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR) has been long promised as mid-year. It is possible it could be as early as 2 June although the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) continues to play its cards close to its chest.
-
![Intelsat emphasises SATCOM resilience for SOF in contested domains (video)]()
Intelsat emphasises SATCOM resilience for SOF in contested domains (video)
Intelsat outlines how its multi-orbit SATCOM architecture is enhancing connectivity and resilience for special operations forces operating in degraded and contested environments.
-
![US Space Force’s next-generation missile warning system moves forward with $500 million in new contracts]()
US Space Force’s next-generation missile warning system moves forward with $500 million in new contracts
Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (Next-Gen OPIR) satellites are intended to provide early warning of missile launches from any location worldwide and new ground stations will result in expanded coverage of critical missile warning.
