LN-120G Stellar-Inertial Navigation System
The LN-120G integrates stellar tracking and SAASM GPS to provide the world’s most accurate heading source.
Description
The LN-120G is a next generation Stellar-Global Positioning System (GPS) - inertial navigation system developed by Northrop Grumman Navigation Systems Division that is now in production. The LN-120G integrates stellar tracking and Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM)-based GPS to provide the world’s most accurate heading source.
The LN-120G integrates very high accuracy stellar tracking capability and a tightly coupled SAASM-based GPS receiver to achieve better than 20 arcsec of pointing accuracy. The LN-120G also achieves better than 0.5 nautical miles per hour of free inertial navigation performance.
The LN-120G is an ideal solution for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance applications providing the heading accuracy necessary for long distance pointing applications. Optionally, the LN-120G can be integrated with a StarFire™ GPS Worldwide Differential Correction receiver allowing positional accuracies in a GPS enabled environment of better than 0.5 meter.
Northrop Grumman has a rich history of stellar-inertial navigation beginning over 35 years ago with the LN-7 and LN-16 spinning mass gyro systems. These were followed by the LN-20 Stellar Inertial Navigation system, employing a G300 spinning mass gyro.
The LN-120G capitalizes on the superior stellar tracking capability demonstrated in the LN-20 stellar-inertial navigation system. The LN-20 has been in service on the United States Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft since 1975. The LN-120G integrates the LN-100 product line’s electronics, Zero-lock™ Laser Gyros and A4 accelerometers with the stellar tracking capability of the LN-20.