Honeywell's Inertial Measurement Unit Improves Guides Control For Missiles, UAVs

Honeywell has announced the latest addition to its tactical guidance technology product line with a smaller, higher performing and more efficient Inertial Measurement Unit for missiles, smart munitions and unmanned aerial vehicles.

This device improves the measurement for guidance, control, stabilisation and pointing applications, adding even more precision where GPS is not available. An inertial navigation system combines computers and speed and rotation sensors to constantly calculate position, direction and velocity.

Defence customers are continually focused on deploying the right technology to improve troop and asset safety as well as increase mission success, said Jean Sage, product line director, marketing and product management at Honeywell Aerospace.

This latest technology moves the standard for tactical navigation forward, enabling customers to progress operations on the battlefield with longer stand-off ranges and heightened precision for operations in GPS-denied environments.

The HG1700 Enhanced Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) is smaller in size than previous versions, with 20 per cent less volume, and maintains the existing mounting features along with better sensor accuracy and lower noise, resulting in improved performance.

Building on an already proven industry standard, the HG1700 Enhanced features upgraded gyroscope technology capable of providing exceptional navigational data to improve performance and ensure more accurate guidance of missiles, smart munitions and unmanned aerial vehicles.

With approximately 400,000 Honeywell IMUs in use today, the HG1700 Enhanced builds on the company's history of delivering compact, low-cost and lightweight avionics guidance systems which continue to set industry-standard capabilities by maximising military operations on the battlefield.