Honeywell Aerospace has outlined why resilient navigation is becoming increasingly important for defense platforms operating where Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals may be degraded, disrupted or unavailable.
GNSS supports many modern navigation systems, but jamming, spoofing and interference can create significant operational risks. More than 1,500 such incidents occur worldwide each day, creating risks to mission success, operational efficiency and safety across military and civil applications.
For Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), loitering munitions and fixed-wing aircraft, dependable navigation remains essential when GNSS cannot be relied upon.
Layered Navigation Built Around Inertial Systems
Honeywell Aerospace’s approach uses Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) as the foundation of a layered navigation architecture.
Unlike satellite-based systems, inertial systems are self-contained and immune to external interference. They can continue supplying positioning, navigation and timing information even in fully denied environments.
Matt Picchetti, Vice President and General Manager of Navigation & Sensors at Honeywell Aerospace, said, “Resilient navigation is knowing where you are and where you’re going with a high degree of confidence, even when traditional navigation sources are disrupted,”
Picchetti added, “What we’re finding is that there is no single silver bullet. Resilient navigation systems are layered and multimodal, meaning they rely on complementary navigation sources working together rather than on any single technology acting alone.”
Rather than replacing GNSS, the architecture uses it when available while combining inertial data with additional aiding sources.
Honeywell Alternative Navigation Architecture (HANA) applies this approach by integrating inertial systems with multiple complementary technologies to support performance across different mission profiles.
Supporting Mission Continuity
Defense missions are becoming longer, more autonomous and more complex, with operations spanning air, land, sea and undersea environments.
In these conditions, navigation systems must provide not only accuracy but continuous integrity, allowing platforms to retain trusted navigation information despite changing external conditions.
Julie Heck, General Manager for Navigation and Sensors at Honeywell Aerospace, said, “Resilient navigation is really about layering aiding sources to create a solution that doesn’t rely on any single sensor,”
Heck continued, “We start with inertial navigation as the foundation, use GNSS when it’s available and then layer in additional aiding sources to create resilience even when one input is degraded or unavailable.”
For UAVs and loitering missions, this can mean maintaining precise navigation in GPS-denied areas. For large fixed-wing and high-endurance platforms, it can support navigation continuity across extended distances and mission durations.
Trevor Stephens, Senior R&D Manager at Honeywell Aerospace, said, “The objective is not to replace GNSS, but to augment it with complementary technologies that sustain reliable performance when GNSS is compromised,”
Honeywell Aerospace expects navigation systems to become increasingly modular, open and adaptable as artificial intelligence, autonomy and sensor fusion continue to advance.
For more information, visit the Honeywell Aerospace website.
