Joint Venture to Design Joint Navigation System for US Air Force

Northrop Grumman will collaborate with the University of Minnesota to design a navigation system under the purview of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory's Collaborative Robust Integrated Sensor Positioning Program.

The combined navigation will assist the aircraft pilots to access information from sensors not only from their own aircraft but also from data received and shared from other pilots in an endeavor to enhance the quality and accuracy of performance in bright as well as in ambient light environments, even when GPS is not accessible. The joint venture will design algorithms to ensure that the system can be used in multiple aircraft systems. Information such as positioning, video, geo-registered imagery and navigation data can be shared between aircrafts with the net-centric communication functions.

The Sensor Positioning software will help enhance situational knowledge across multiple operating environments. Both partners received the research and development order for initial design of the algorithms. In the next phase, the joint venture will incorporate the design into a prototype of the navigation platform and a demonstration of flight test.