Mayflower Communications Company, Inc: Projectile Inertial Navigator from COTS Instruments
About the Technology
Mayflower Communications Company, Inc. has developed a High Anti-Jam (AJ) GPS Guidance Electronics Unit (GEU) that has miniaturized Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module GPS receivers and GPS anti-jam modules suitable for most precision guidance munitions. The gun-hardened GEU system has anti-jam capability and provides a high degree of protection against jamming of GPS receivers. The AJ GPS guidance system was developed in response to Navy’s need for a commercially available and affordable inertial
navigator that is suitable for use in guidance and control of projectiles.
In a teaming arrangement with Alliant Technologies, Inc. (ATK), Mayflower is supporting the Ballistic Trajectory Extended Range Munitions (BTERM II) Demonstration Program.The company is providing its GPS antenna AJ electronics to ATK/Draper for the Navy BTERM II projectiles. BTERM II is considered an alternative to the extended range, gun launched projectile and an alternative to the Extended Range Guided Munitions. Mayflower is also applying its GPS/AJ technology to the DoD’s Guidance Integrated Fuze (GIF) Demonstration Program, and is developing miniaturized anti-jam antenna electronics and a single chip SAASM GPS receiver for use in the GIF GEU.
Military and Commercial Significance
Mayflower’s Anti-Jam GPS GEU offers a powerful, high performance, small size, low cost solution for precision guided munitions. Production cost is decreased by using commercially available instruments, miniaturizing the enhanced GPS receiver and anti-jam module unit, and by using “accelerometers only” inertial navigation systems without including the more expensive gun-hard gyroscope that is not available commercially. The GPS anti- jam technology mitigates multiple wideband jammers for gun-launched rolling projectiles by utilizing a conformal antenna. The GIF program seeks to replace the existing NATO standard fuze on existing stockpiled Army, Navy, and Marine Corp ammunition with a low-cost, fuze-sized module.