All-source Navigation for Enhancing Uav Operations in Gps-denied Environments

The drive towards utilizing small, cheap, autonomous aerial vehicles for military operations means that navigation systems that are robust to GPS denial must be employed. The simplest option available is to increase the accuracy of the inertial measurement unit (IMU), but this can substantially increase the price per operational unit. This paper presents an overview of the All-Source Navigation system developed by BAE Systems Australia based on inexpensive MEMS IMUs and a supporting image processing unit. The navigation system is capable of sustaining the operational flight capability of the vehicle for prolonged periods of time compared to the pure inertial solution. At its core, All-Source Navigation makes use of SLAM techniques. A variety of additional aiding sources are fused into the inertial navigation solution to give improved navigational accuracy during flight. The system is capable of performing both conventional static, as well as in-flight alignment. All-Source Navigation is demonstrated on the Kingfisher 2 UAV platform at the West Sale test facility.