Inertial Reference System/Inertial Navigation System (IRS/INS) is a navigation aid that uses a self-contained navigation technique to track position and orientation of an object, thanks to the information provided by an Inertial Measurement Unit, which measures the accelerations on the 3 axes, and 3 gyros, which measure angular velocities relative to the inertial space. The IRS market for civil aircraft applications currently suffers from two major limitations:
1) ITAR regulations affect the business of high performance INS/IRS solutions: International Traffic in Arms Regulation is a regulation defined by the US government and controlled by the US Department of State for the control of the export of US-origin items specifically designed, modified, configured or adapted for sensitive dual-use applications, and of related technical data and services.
ITAR regulations represent a real showstopper for industry players due to export restrictions and complex rules for respecting ITAR-compliance during the whole life-cycle of the equipment. The industry is then expected to favour suppliers having no export restriction.
2) At present for civil airborne applications, most of ITAR-free IRS solutions are based on RLG technology: RLG is a consolidated but yet very expensive technology as it is based on delicate manufacturing processes with very specific components, which requires large and complex production facilities, as well as expensive maintenance.
RLG proves an obsolete technology that will be soon, progressively replaced by FOG technology. NICENAV IRS product (P/N PCFN050AC) will be the first IRS on the market to find a solution for the above mentioned market limitations, since:
• It does not rely on any component or design/development service or data to be provided by US under the ITAR regulations and will not depend on US export licensing rules;
• It is based on FOG technology;
• It guarantees the best peak performance with lower production and maintenance costs, lower weight and smaller size than competing solutions on the same target application,
This will grant the product to be compliant at the highest safety level to airworthiness requirements and ETSO certified by EASA and FAA.
NICENAV is the entrepreneurial project of CNS over the next decade, forecasted to position the company among top 10 Navigation solution providers worldwide and top 3 in Europe. The goal is to accelerate the entry-time in the market to respond to the growing interest from clients. The achievement of TRL9 is the natural target of NICENAV and SME-Instrument is the best route to reduce the time-to-market while maintaining the technological and market advantage over competitors.
