PHOENIX – Honeywell Aerospace in Phoenix has introduced Kestrel, a compact embedded GPS/inertial navigation system (EGI) designed to provide positioning and navigation capabilities for uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) operating in environments where GPS signals may be degraded, jammed, or spoofed.
Kestrel combines Honeywell’s HG3900 microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) inertial measurement unit (IMU) with an M-code GPS receiver and a multi-GNSS receiver. The system is designed for Group 2 and Group 3 collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) and loitering munition platforms, as well as crewed aircraft applications where size, weight, power and cost constraints are important considerations.
The company says Kestrel is 40 percent smaller and lighter than comparable navigation products while providing up to an 80 percent improvement in navigation accuracy for uncrewed platforms. Honeywell also says the system can reduce costs by up to 50 percent and support high-volume UAS deployments.
EGI systems combine inertial sensors with satellite-based navigation signals to provide continuous position, velocity, and attitude estimates. The technology enables aircraft to maintain navigation capabilities when external navigation signals are unavailable or unreliable, including in contested electromagnetic environments where adversaries may attempt to disrupt or manipulate GNSS signals.
Honeywell says Kestrel will be available in configurations supporting international and non-International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) deployments.
For more information, please visit www.honeywellaerospace.com/.
