Tactical Navigation System for GPS-Denied Situational Awareness 

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Situational awareness regarding the environment is an imperative factor in winning the battle. A military vehicle navigation system designed for harsh environments and battlefield conditions has been developed. The system utilises real-time moving map technology that provides the driver and crewmembers continuously with accurate situational awareness information. 

Thanks to the CheetahNAV, the crew of the light military vehicle can count on highly accurate position information, irrespective of whether they are denied satellite navigation. This is achieved through an advanced inertial measurement system (IMS), comprising several aids, including a gyro-compensated compass and an advanced Kalman filter-based algorithm.

The technology was designed and developed by South Africa-based Etion Create. 

The CheetahNAV can integrate with any number of different inertial navigation systems (INS) and can be aligned with any of the satellite navigation constellations. Combined with GNSS and compass information, the system enables dead-reckoning and accurate positioning of the vehicle in tactical situations. The tactical grade integral inertial measurement unit (IMU) ensures jamming-free operation, according to gpsworld.com.

“We are confident that the system provides dead-reckoning horizontal position accuracy of 0.2% of distance travelled in a GNSS denied situation,” said Jan Hurter, senior product manager. “This translates, by way of example, to accuracy of just 200 metres over a distance of 100 kilometers.”

Some of the guidance cues the system provides to the crew during tactical maneuvers include the vehicle’s current position, true heading and desired heading towards the next waypoint, current speed and desired speed to reach the next waypoint or destination on time, and the next waypoint or destination. 

The ruggedized CheetahNAV is designed and has been tested to withstand the most severe military environments.

Having utilized the building blocks of previously developed military off-the-shelf technologies, Etion Create considers the system to be at a high TRL (technology readiness level), and thus available for the export market, according to gpsworld.com.