Northrop Grumman to develop collaborative navigation system for US Air Force
Northrop Grumman Corporation, in partnership with the University of Minnesota, has been selected to develop a collaborative navigation system under the US Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) Collaborative Robust Integrated Sensor Positioning Program.
Collaborative navigation will allow aircraft to leverage information from their onboard sensors in addition to shared data from other aircraft to achieve highly accurate navigation performance in all flight conditions, even in areas where global positioning system (GPS) information is unavailable.
During the initial award period, Northrop Grumman and the University of Minnesota will develop algorithms that will enable the collaborative navigation system to operate across multiple aircraft platforms. By sharing relative positioning information, video, geo-registered imagery, and other navigation data using the net-centric communication capabilities on the platforms, the collaborative navigation system will improve overall navigational accuracy.
"Extending current methods of own-ship navigation to a collaborative environment will offer tangible benefits to the warfighter by providing highly accurate navigation information in all environments, with or without GPS assistance," said Charles Volk, vice president and chief technology officer of Northrop Grumman's Navigation Systems Division. "The collaborative navigation solution that Northrop Grumman and the University of Minnesota have developed represents state-of-the-art and innovative use of net-centric operations and layered sensing for navigation."
AFRL's Collaborative Robust Integrated Sensor Positioning program seeks to develop navigation technologies to improve situational awareness of the warfighter in all operating conditions. Northrop Grumman, in partnership with the University of Minnesota, was awarded a research and development contract for the preliminary design of collaborative navigation algorithms. Future phases of the program will include the development of a real-time prototype collaborative navigation system and a flight test demonstration.
Source: Northrop Grumman
You may also like
More from Digital Battlespace
-
![Babcock nears first customer for Nomad AI translation tool]()
Babcock nears first customer for Nomad AI translation tool
Nomad can provide militaries with real-time intelligence, saving critical time on the battlefield.
-
![AUSA 2025: Israel’s Asio Technologies to supply hundreds of improved Taurus tactical systems]()
AUSA 2025: Israel’s Asio Technologies to supply hundreds of improved Taurus tactical systems
Taurus operates alongside the Israel Defense Forces’ Orion system which supports mission management across tens of thousands of manoeuvring forces, from squad leaders to battalion commanders.
-
![AUSA 2025: Kopin pushes micro-LED plans as China moves faster]()
AUSA 2025: Kopin pushes micro-LED plans as China moves faster
The plan for the new displays follows fresh investment in Kopin’s European facilities by Theon and an order for head-up displays in fielded aircraft, with funding from the US Department of Defense.
-
![AUSA 2025: Persistent Systems to complete its largest order by year’s end]()
AUSA 2025: Persistent Systems to complete its largest order by year’s end
Persistent Systems received its largest ever single order for its MPU5 devices and other systems earlier this month and has already delivered the 50 units to the US Army’s 4th Infantry Division.
-
![Aselsan brings in dozens of companies and systems under the Steel Dome umbrella]()
Aselsan brings in dozens of companies and systems under the Steel Dome umbrella
Turkey has joined the family of countries attempting to establish a multilayered air defence system with government approval in August 2024 for the effort landed by Aselsan. Dubbed Steel Dome, the programme joins Israel’s Iron Dome, the US Golden Dome, India’s Mission Sudarshan Chakra and South Korea’s low-altitude missile defence system.
-
![DSEI 2025: MARSS unveils new agnostic multidomain C4 system]()
DSEI 2025: MARSS unveils new agnostic multidomain C4 system
MARSS’ NiDAR system has been deployed using sensors from static platforms to provide detection and protection for static sights, such as critical infrastructure, ports and military bases.
