Northrop Grumman has been awarded a $6.3 million DARPA contract to develop an inertial navigation system that will allow users to navigate even in GPS-denied environments.
The contract, with DARPA’s Microsystems Technology Office of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, calls for Northrop Grumman to develop a next-generation navigation-grade inertial measurement unit (IMU) based on advanced microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology.
“The IMU is expected to enable navigation by sensing acceleration and angular motion, providing data outputs used by vehicle control systems for guidance,” according to a Northrop Grumman news release.
The contract is part of DARPA’s Precise Robust Inertial Guidance for Munitions Navigation-Grade Inertial Measurement Unit (PRIGM NGIMU) program, which aims to develop a miniaturized navigation-grade IMU by integrating state-of-the-art MEMS inertial sensors with minimized cost, size, weight and power consumption.
“Making inertial navigation units smaller and lighter than ever before will make a huge difference in GPS-denied and highly contested environments,” said Alex Fax, program director of Advanced Positioning, Navigation and Timing Solutions at Northrop Grumman Mission Systems.
