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OPTIMISE

InnOvative PosiTIoning systeM for defence In gnSs-denied arEas

  • Sector:
    Avionics and Custom Electronics
  • Call:
    PADR (Preparatory Action on Defense Research)
  • Financing:
    European Defense Agency
  • Consortium:
    MBDA, Sener Aerospace, ONERA, SYRLINKS, STARNAV, SYSNAV, University of Žilina, and AICIA
  • Estado:
    Completed

Background

Since the 1990s, satellite navigation systems like GPS have become integrated into various aspects of our lives. However, reliable alternatives for positioning are crucial when these tools are unavailable. Most advancements in this area have focused on military innovation and defense, ensuring the movement of aircraft, vehicles, and troops in electronic warfare environments.

Project

With the goal of providing a precise and improved alternative for positioning and navigation without relying on GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems), Skylife Engineering has coordinated the R&D and innovation project called OPTIMISE. The main objective is research aimed at enhancing positioning, navigation, and timing in areas where GNSS systems are inaccessible, achieved through an innovative architecture that combines data from various signals and sensors.
 
The OPTIMISE platform merges different technologies for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT), seeking a more reliable outcome through their combination. Alongside using modern and effective sensors, a significant portion of the project aims to test a wide range of tools based on emerging technologies for specific situations. These are integrated and fused by central software to provide a more accurate and robust solution.
 
Being part of the PADR program, the project's results will support the European Commission, EDA, and member states in preparing the Research Dimension of the European Defense Fund.
 
The project is also related to work conducted under EDA's Capability Technology Groups (CapTech Guidance, Navigation and Control, and the Ad Hoc Working Group Space).

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Solution

The proposed architecture consists of various technologies that offer fused and combined PNT solutions for an improved and robust outcome. These technologies comprise different types of sensors, from classical navigation sensors to the latest ones that enhance navigation performance under varying operating conditions. The project will propose a PNT "toolbox," offering a set of emerging technologies along with a core software architecture to integrate them.
 
Several workshops with experts were conducted in 2021 to define requirements, constraints, and the state of the art of available technologies and methods. Based on this, scenarios and a roadmap for developing different systems were defined. Prototypes were designed for each technology, and from June 2022 to April 2023, integration and validation tests were conducted on the Žilina Airport in Slovakia, both on the ground and in flight. A reference aircraft trajectory was defined to measure the results.
 
This project paves the way for greater integration of PNT technology in Defense Programs on various timescales. The aim is to gain more strategic autonomy in the EU, reduce dependency on GNSS, and address scenarios involving jamming and electronic warfare.

Benefits

  • Study current and future military scenarios and use cases and select KPIs to evaluate the PNT solution.
  • Review PNT requirements and constraints for aerial platforms.
  • Evaluate key emerging PNT technologies and the optimized combination to pave the way for an enhanced robust and reliable navigation chain.
  • Propose and demonstrate a Data Fusion architecture that's multi-platform and multi-sensor.
  • Provide recommendations for PNT technology roadmaps and paths forward in line with EDA's strategy.

Why Skylife?

OPTIMISE is another example of how Skylife actively contributes to innovation and the development of new technologies, particularly in areas such as PNT technology for European Union defense programs. In this project, coordinated by Skylife, participants include MBDA, Sener Aerospace, ONERA - The French Aerospace Lab, SYRLINKS, STARNAV, SYSNAV, the University of Žilina, and AICIA (Andalusian Association for Research and Industrial Cooperation).

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