AirSatOne (ASO), an Aviation Satellite Communication Service Provider, reported that its test using a COBHAM AVIATOR UAV 200 for Satcom connectivity and the Inertial Labs INS-P for Position, Heading, Pitch, Roll, and Velocity data has been successfully completed. The integration of the Inertial Labs INS-P provides rapid connectivity from static or dynamic initialization.
The AVIATOR UAV 200 was specifically designed
for UAV’s to provide Satcom connectivity for Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS)
operations which can be used to remotely pilot the aircraft and provide video
feed for surveillance and situational awareness. Cobham designed the satcom
terminal with a very unique low gain, electronically steered antenna allowing
full Inmarsat hemisphere coverage to 5° elevation where competing systems only
offer coverage to 20° elevation. To achieve this, the satcom terminal needs
external navigation data. To support this requirement, Inertial Labs equipped
its INS-P with an AVIATOR UAV 200 compliant data format.
Upon UAV system’s initialization, the Inertial
Labs INS-P precisely indicated 3D orientation, velocity as well as latitude and
longitude utilizing its powerful tactical-grade IMU (1 deg/hr gyro), high
precision GNSS receiver and gyro-compensated Fluxgate magnetic compass. During
testing, connectivity remained stable with no interruptions while rotating
360°, during pitch variations of greater than ±45°, and roll values up to 45°.
The resulting accuracy: Position <1 meter; Heading <0.2°; and Pitch/Roll
<0.1°.
“We subjected the INS-P and Cobham AVIATOR UAV 200 to aggressive maneuvers in pitch, roll and heading/yaw and found that the combination allowed connectivity at extreme angles; including maintaining connectivity beyond 60 degrees pitch and roll. To further note, the INS-P came online quickly, even faster than our requirements,” said Jo Kremsreiter, president at AirSatOne.
Source: AirSatOne
By Loren Blinde
July 30, 2019
