A reconfigurable navigation test bed

The Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate (AFRL/MN) is engaged in the development of advanced munition navigation systems. The Navigation Team has a mobile test vehicle (MTV) to accomplish outdoor, low-dynamic testing of developmental navigation systems. Past tests conducted by the MTV required the units under test possess their own navigation system while the MTV provided F-16 data interface emulation via MIL-STD-1553 data bus. A reconfigurable navigation system (RNS) is being developed that accepts data from any inertial measurement unit (IMU), such as micro electromechanical systems (MEMS), and provides the means for navigation evaluation. Implementation of navigation filters will be done with the aid of a user interface while tests of these filters will be done without paying the price of airborne tests. C++ objects for such things as the plant, measurement, and covariance matrices, states, the earth, position, velocity, and transformation matrices are created. This paper discusses the beginning stages of the RNS. It begins with the verification of a strap-down navigator. The timing of the inertial navigation system is explained. Position and velocity accuracy is provided