Precise Robust Inertial Guidance for Munitions (PRIGM)
Abstract
The DoD relies on GPS for ubiquitous and accurate positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT). With the increased prevalence of intentional GPS jamming, spoofing, and other GPS-denial threats, GPS access is increasingly unavailable in contested theaters and alternative sources of PNT are required. In particular, guided munitions navigation is the most immediate and among the most demanding of GPS-denial challenges, due to the necessity of operating in highly contested theaters and the stringent requirements for minimization of cost, size, weight, and power consumption (CSWaP). The Precise Robust Inertial Guidance for Munitions (PRIGM) program will develop low-CSWaP inertial sensor technology for GPS-free munitions navigation. PRIGM comprises two focus areas: 1) Development of a Navigation-Grade Inertial Measurement Unit (NGIMU) that transitions state-of-the-art MEMS to DoD platforms by 2020; and 2) Research and development of Advanced Inertial MEMS Sensors (AIMS) to achieve gun-hard, high-bandwidth, high dynamic range navigation requirements with the objective of complete autonomy in 2030. PRIGM will advance state-of-the-art MEMS gyros from TRL-3 devices to a TRL-6 transition platform (complete IMU) that enables Service Labs to perform TRL-7 field demonstrations. PRIGM will exploit recent advances in heterogeneous integration of photonics and CMOS and advanced MEMS technology to realize novel inertial sensors for application in extreme dynamic environments and beyond navigation-grade performance. At present, DoD suffers a trade-space dichotomy between low-CSWaP tactical-grade IMUs, based on MEMS inertial sensors, and relatively high-CSWaP navigation-grade IMUs, based on ring-laser or interferometric fiber-optic gyroscopes (RLG/iFOG). RLG/iFOG is the technology of choice for high-value platforms. However, for the vast majority of platforms (munitions, dismounts, UAVs), CSWaP necessitates the use of lower-performance, MEMS-based IMUs. Under the micro-PNT program, DARPA has developed MEMS gyroscopes with performance rivaling that of navigation-grade interferometric fiber optic gyros (IFOGs), thus exposing a new tradespace for low-CSWaP navigation grade IMUs. The ultimate goal of the program is to develop a complete MEMS-based navigation-grade IMU with an identical mechanical/electronic interface to existing DoD-standard tactical-grade MEMS IMUs, thereby providing a drop-in replacement for existing DoD systems and rapid transition through early insertion demonstrations. This program has basic research efforts funded in PE 0601101E, Project ES-01 and applied research efforts funded in PE 0602716E, Project ELT-01.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2017
- Source ID
- 43a61f5b533122e7deaae8311f406b0e