Inertial navigation for defense UAVs

A UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), commonly referred to as a drone, is an aircraft with specific mission payloads that operates without a human pilot onboard. UAVs are remotely controlled by operators or function autonomously through onboard computers and sensors.
Lately, defense forces have faced growing challenges, including electronic warfare, GNSS interference, highlighting vulnerabilities in traditional Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) systems. The widespread availability of low-cost GNSS jamming and spoofing has made sole reliance on these systems risky for defense vehicles.
Despite this, many defense fleets remain unprepared for GNSS-compromised environments. Integrating inertial sensors into these vehicles is now crucial for maintaining PNT capabilities and ensuring national security in contested battle spaces. Our motion and navigation solutions offer a reliable alternative to GNSS in such scenarios.

Home Defense UAV inertial navigation

High-precision accelerometers and gyroscopes

Inertial Systems play a critical role as both primary and secondary navigation aids in defense devices and vehicles, working alongside compass systems and maps.
These systems provide continuous, real-time navigation data essential for collision avoidance, path planning, and situational awareness. Additionally, INS enhances vehicle autonomy, enabling vehicles to operate more independently on the battlefield.
Our inertial systems have high-precision accelerometers and gyroscopes are crucial for ensuring the accuracy and reliability. By combining data from these sensors with inputs from external sources, high-accuracy INS solutions can detect even the smallest movement changes. This sensor fusion enables the INS to provide precise and reliable navigation data, crucial for mission-critical applications.

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Robust & space-efficient design

Our navigation systems are MEMS-based inertial measurement units (IMU), commonly available in OEM form.
We use materials and designs robust enough to endure the extreme conditions military vehicles face, such as intense vibrations, drastic temperature changes, and harsh climates. Reliability in these environments is crucial, as system failure could compromise mission success. Tested against military standards, these materials ensure that critical systems continue to function optimally in demanding scenarios.
Durability and resilience are key to maintaining operational effectiveness, making them essential for mission-critical applications where any malfunction could have serious consequences.

Easy to integrate OEM and boxed solutions

Our inertial sensors are designed to seamlessy integrate into all types of UAVs. These factors allow our INS to be easily installed without requiring significant modifications.
This adaptability ensures quick and consistent implementation, reducing downtime and operational costs while maintaining navigation accuracy. With our scalable solutions, defense forces can ensure that their entire fleet benefits from the enhanced navigation capabilities of INS, supporting mission-critical operations without disrupting UAV configurations or requiring complex retrofits.

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Our strengths

Our systems combine advanced technologies to deliver accurate real-time motion data, even in the toughest conditions.

Dynamic navigation Highly accurate positioning and orientation data in rapidly changing scenarios.
GNSS-denied areas resilience Maintains performance in GPS-jammed or GPS-denied environments.
Compact and rugged design Optimized for UAV integration, meet military standards for durability in harsh conditions
Real-time data for mission accuracy Achieve precise targeting, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.

Our solutions for UAV navigation

Our sensors provide an extremely low latency between motion and output. They are carefully designed with signal conditioning and FIR filtering to deliver high bandwidth while protecting the measurement from vibrations.

Pulse 40 IMU Unit Checkmedia Right

Pulse-40

Pulse-40 IMU is ideal for critical applications. Make no compromise between size, performance, and reliability.
Tactical grade IMU 0.08°/√h noise gyro 6µg accelerometers 12-gram, 0.3 W
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Ellipse E INS Unit Right

Ellipse-E

Ellipse-E offers precise navigation by integrating with external GNSS and sensors, delivering roll, pitch, heading, heave, and position data.
INS External GNSS 0.05 ° Roll & Pitch 0.2 ° Heading
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Ellipse N INS Unit Right

Ellipse-N

Ellipse-N is a compact, high-performance single antenna GNSS offering precise centimeter-level positioning and robust navigation.
INS Single Antenna RTK GNSS 0.05 ° Roll & Pitch 0.2 ° Heading
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Ellipse D INS Unit Right

Ellipse-D

Ellipse-D is the smallest Inertial Navigation System with dual-antenna GNSS, offering precise heading and centimeter-level accuracy in any condition.
INS Dual Antenna RTK INS 0.05 ° Roll and Pitch 0.2 ° Heading
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Ekinox Micro INS Unit Right

Ekinox Micro

Ekinox Micro is a compact, high-performance INS with dual-antenna GNSS, delivering unmatched accuracy and reliability in mission-critical applications.
INS Internal GNSS single/dual antenna 0.015 ° Roll and Pitch 0.05 ° Heading
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Quanta Plus INS Unit Right

Quanta Plus

Quanta Plus combines a tactical IMU with a high-performance GNSS receiver to get reliable position and attitude, even in harshest GNSS environments. It is a small, lightweight, and high-performance product that can be easily integrated into survey systems with LiDAR or other third-party sensors.
INS Internal GNSS single/dual antenna 0.03 ° Heading 0.02 ° Roll & Pitch
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Quanta Extra INS Unit Right

Quanta Extra

Quanta Extra embeds high-end gyroscopes and accelerometers in the most compact form factor. It also integrates an RTK GNSS receiver providing a centimetric position. Bring the highest precision to your Mobile Mapping Solution!
INS Internal GNSS single/dual antenna 0.03 ° Heading 0.008 ° Roll & Pitch
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Download our leaflet

Our brochures offer detailed information to help you find the perfect UAV navigation solution for your needs.

Case studies

Explore the success stories behind SBG Systems’ UAV inertial solutions. Discover how our cutting-edge navigation systems have transformed UAV operations across various industries, from precision agriculture to defense.
Each case study highlights real-world applications where our advanced inertial sensors and GNSS technology have delivered unmatched accuracy, reliability, and performance.

Vikings

Compact inertial navigation system for autonomous navigation

Autonomous robot

VIKINGS Autonomous Robot
Chalmers

Formula Student Driverless – Chalmers Team to Choose SBG INS GNSS

Self-driving car

Chalmers Formula Car
Yellowscan

Perfect accuracy and efficiency in LiDAR mapping with Quanta Micro

LiDAR mapping

Yellowscan Chooses Quanta Micro UAV
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They talk about us

Discover how our inertial solutions have elevated our customers operations, and enhanced their productivity.

BoE Systems
“We heard some good reviews about SBG sensors being used in the surveying industry, so we conducted some tests with the Ellipse2-D and the results were exactly what we needed.”
Jason L, Founder
Eberhard Karls Universität
“Ellipse-N was selected because it fulfills all the requirements and provides a unique balance of accuracy, size and weight.”
Uwe P, Dr. Ing.
University of Waterloo
“Ellipse-D from SBG Systems was easy to use, very accurate, and stable, with a small form factor—all of which were essential for our WATonoTruck development.”
Amir K, Professor and Director

Do you have questions?

Welcome to our FAQ section! Here, you’ll find answers to the most common questions about UAV-unmanned aerial vehicles navigation. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, feel free to contact us directly!

What kinds of INS integration are possible within defense UAVs?

Our solutions are well-suited for integration with various types of defense UAVs, offering versatility and adaptability for different operational needs. Our motion and navigation sensors bring tactical sensing to your systems without compromise on SWaP-C! They are particularly suited to use by integrators.

 

For UAVs that rely on GNSS, our dual-antenna GNSS receivers offer exceptional accuracy. This is beneficial for surface navigation and aids in transitioning between aerial and ground navigation. Additionally, all sensors support various communication protocols such as RS-232, CAN, and Ethernet, allowing seamless integration with UAV systems.

 

Finally, it is possible to integrate external positioning solutions such as DVL, or other navigation aids to provide accurate roll, pitch, heading, and altitude data. This enhances navigation in environments where GNSS signals might be weak or unavailable.

How do we ensure sensor quality standards for UAV military applications?

At SBG Systems, ensuring the highest quality standards for our inertial measurement units (IMUs) involves a meticulous process. We begin with the optimal selection of high-end MEMS components, focusing on reliable accelerometers and gyroscopes that meet our stringent quality requirements. Our IMUs are housed in robust casings designed to withstand vibrations and environmental conditions, guaranteeing durability and performance.

 

Our automated calibration process involves a 2-axis table and addresses temperature ranges from -40°C to 85°C. This calibration compensates for various factors including biases, cross-axis effects, misalignment, scale factors, and non-linearities in accelerometers and gyroscopes, ensuring consistent performance in all weather conditions.

 

Our qualification process further involves strict in-house screening to ensure that only sensors meeting our specifications continue through production. Each IMU is accompanied by a detailed calibration report and is guaranteed for two years. This rigorous approach ensures high quality, reliability, and consistent performance over time, delivering superior IMUs for defense and other critical applications.

 

We also conducts thorough environmental and endurance testing to ensure reliability. Some of our sensors meet several MIL-STD standards, guaranteeing resistance to shock, vibration, and extreme conditions.

How to control output delays in UAV operations?

Controlling output delays in UAV operations is essential for ensuring responsive performance, precise navigation, and effective communication, especially in defense or mission-critical applications.

 

The output latency is an important aspect in real time control applications, where a higher output latency could degrade control loops performance. Our INS embedded software has been designed to minimize output latency: once sensor data are sampled, the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) performs small and constant-time computations before the outputs are generated. Typically the observed output delay is less than one millisecond.

 

The processing latency should be added to the data transmission latency if you want to get total delay. This transmission latency vary from one interface to another. For instance, a 50 bytes message sent on a UART interface at 115200 bps will take 4ms for complete transmission. Consider higher baudrates to minimize output latency.