Airbus will equip its A220 commercial aircraft with the SkyNaute inertial navigation system developed by Safran Electronics & Defense. This integration marks the first time such technology is used on a passenger airliner, as it was previously reserved for military aircraft, helicopters, and drones.
The SkyNaute system utilizes a hemispherical resonator gyro (HRG) design, which lacks mechanical parts prone to wear. This architecture allows the aircraft to maintain its trajectory and determine its precise location even when satellite signals are unavailable, jammed, or subjected to spoofing.
The system operates by combining inertial navigation data with information from global navigation satellite systems. Safran Electronics & Defense intends to scale its production capabilities significantly, aiming to increase the annual output of SkyNaute units from 10,000 to 30,000 by 2032.
