Modular, flexible and competitive, Ariane 6 is intended to offer the best space launch solution, by 2020, to commercial and institutional customers. Therefore it can’t anymore rely on legacy inertial reference. Advanced solutions were requested through an open tender conducted by ArianeGroup under European Space Agency (ESA) supervision. SpaceNaute®, the Safran solution based of HRG technology, was then selected against RLG and FOG based solutions proposed by the competitors. This paper describes the trade-off studies conducted to select the proper technology and describe the unique SWaP (Size, Weight and Power) breakthrough of SpaceNaute®, unveils key performance characteristics of the inertial sensors for SpaceNaute® and how HRG benefits are capitalized into the product.

A modified method for S-approximations of anomalous potential fields is described; its advantages are discussed. Software has been developed to calculate deflections of the vertical (DOV) and geoid heights using the proposed technique. The results of DOV calculations for two regions of the Atlantic Ocean are given.

The problem of ensuring the radiation resistance of fiber-optic gyroscopes and their main components (optical fibers, elements of integrated optics, optical sources, electronic components and optical materials) is analyzed on the basis of Russian and foreign publications. Possible ways of radiation resistance improvement are considered.

The paper addresses the problem of verification of a micronavigation system appropriateness for determining the parameters of antenna phase center (APC) motion in order to synthesize its aperture onboard an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). A method is proposed for the analysis of the accuracy of APC positioning in real flight conditions. Trajectory signal from a monochromatic stationary source of radiofrequency (RF) emission is used as reference measurements. The accuracy of the range to the source measured by the micronavigation system is estimated, with an emphasis on the analysis of high-frequency component of measurement error. Hardware for the proposed method implementation is described, and the results of in-flight tests are presented. It is demonstrated that the accuracy of APC positioning towards the RF emission source is determined at the level of measurement errors caused by the phase instability of reference oscillators within the receiver modules.

This paper deals with an expanded two-dimensional (2D) proportional-derivative (PD) command to line-of-sight (CLOS) guidance law which fights the spiral type trajectory of an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) in the plane perpendicular to the line-of-sight (LOS) or the so called picture plane, in order to improve the transition process performance while putting the missile onto the LOS. The guidance law acts as a classical PD control law within a small predetermined area around the LOS while at missile deviations pointing a position outside this area the control law includes additional nonlinear components connected with the derivatives of the missile position vector in the plane perpendicular to the LOS. The global asymptotic stability of the guidance loop is established by a specific positive definite Lyapunov function. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is illustrated by simulation results. The guidance law enables to decrease the near-field boundary of the missile operational range.

The paper addresses the problem of required positioning accuracy to be provided for a marine consumer. To improve the reliability of navigation measurements, an option of system implementation comprising both stationary onshore facilities and mobile offshore ones is proposed. In order to ensure appropriate range and accuracy of navigation using surface radio navigation aids (RNA), it is proposed to employ medium-wave radiation. Specific features of navigation measures within the selected range are studied in detail, which made it possible for the authors to develop particular technical recommendations and to formulate the accuracy estimations of marine consumer positioning using the proposed solutions under different conditions.

A new continuous-time particle filter algorithm is proposed for solving the problems of nonlinear estimation of signal when describing the mathematical models of an observed object and a measuring system by means of stochastic differential equations. This algorithm can be used in the estimation problems related to navigation data processing. The algorithm verification is presented by example of a navigation system error estimation using geophysical field map data.

The paper is dedicated to the history of Russia’s first integrated navigation systems (INS) Briz-N and Biryuza-NK developed for the vessels of the USSR Ministry of the Maritime Fleet (MMF). Composition of these systems, as well as the list of the main tasks and testing results are presented in the paper.