USAF starts experimenting with magnetic anomaly navigation

The U.S. Air Force’s multi-intelligence reconfigurable pod – AgilePod – recently demonstrated Precision, Navigation and Timing (PNT) concept of operations during six Phase I flights in Colorado.

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – The use of Open Systems Architectures during manufacturing enables the Air Force Research Laboratory’s AgilePod to integrate on diverse air platforms with short notice. The AgilePod is an Air Force-trademarked, multi-intelligence reconfigurable pod that enables flight-line operators to customize sensor packages based on specific mission needs. A fit check held late December, 2017, provided an opportunity to demonstrate the ability of the pod to rapidly integrate onto the Scorpion Light Attack/ISR jet, highlighting the benefits of Open Architecture for augmenting Air Force mission needs. (Air Force photo by David Dixon/released)

Three PNT technologies, the Vision Navigation (VisNav), Signals of Opportunity (SoOP) and magnetic anomaly navigation (MAGNAV), were demonstrated. The Vision Navigation (VisNav) and Signals of Opportunity (SoOP) technology were fused into a single system and the experiments proved that the idea can work in a wide range of aircraft and environmental conditions.

The MAGNAV technology was assessed for the potential to use it on future tests. Researchers in the Air Force has been working on how to use the earth’s magnetic fields as a method to navigate for several years and have published papers on their work.

Last year, researchers in the Air Force’s-MIT Artificial Intelligence Accelerator found that MAGNAV has an accuracy of ten meters. Sufficient enough for long-range navigation.

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One thought on “USAF starts experimenting with magnetic anomaly navigation

  1. How intruiging! I had not read more than the first couple of lines when I realised the significance of this research. i.e. In a GPS degraded or else totally denied environment. The same reason that I keep my paper charts and street maps for driving…never put all of your eggs in just one basket!

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