Volume III. Systems Phase, Chapter 2: Navigation Systems.
Abstract
The development of highly accurate, self-contained inertial navigation systems (INS) has been one of the major engineering accomplishments of the past 50 years. It has taken the combined efforts of hundreds of engineers of all types as well as physicists, mathematicians, metallurgists, skilled craftsmen, and managers to bring inertial navigation to its present advanced state; however, the principles upon which it is based are actually quite simple. In the simplest terms, an INS is a system which uses Newton's laws of motion and a set of initial conditions to continuously determine the velocity, position, and attitude of the vehicle in which it is contained. The INS differs from other types of navigation systems in that it is completely self-contained, requiring no external references such as radio links, radar contact with the surface of the earth, or measurement of the vehicle's velocity through the air or water. An INS gives the military an accurate non-emitting, unjammable navigation system requiring no ground-based or airborne support. This text presents inertial navigation System principles of operation, error analysis, and flight test techniques.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA320040