Airborne navigation systems testing : a technical handbook for performance analysis of airborne navigation systems in naval aircraft

Since man has first wandered out of sight of familiar surroundings, he has needed a means of returning from whence he came. The degree of accuracy required during the evolutionary processes of mankind and his desire for travel has varied widely. The purpose of this thesis is to develop a standardized method for testing and evaluating navigation sources that are common in military aircraft, present and future. The emphasis will be on the tactical aspects of navigation sources that affect the accuracy of the primary mission of the tactical aircraft, that is, delivery of weapons on the target. This thesis will examine the following sources of enroute position fixing; Inertial navigation (INS), OMEGA Navigation System, Doppler Navigation, Long Range Navigation (LORAN C) and the TRANSIT Satellite navigation system, and will also examine the fields of Laser-ring gyroscopic Inertial Navigation Systems and satellite navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS). The thesis will then present methods for functional testing and evaluation of the accuracy and tactical utility in the operational mission. It is assumed that each system described is a generic navigation system designed to meet the applicable military design specifications for a generic military multi-mission tactical aircraft.