Advancing GNSS-Denied Navigation in sUAS with Visual Inertial Odometry

AV Inc. has integrated its Visual Navigation System (VNS) kit into the Puma™ Long Endurance (LE) small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS).

First introduced in 2022 for the Puma 2 AE and Puma 3 AE, the VNS kit delivers Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)-denied navigation capability. This integration now extends the capability across the full Puma family, offering greater flexibility and resilience for missions operating in degraded or denied environments.

This system utilizes advanced computer vision and onboard processing to achieve precise, GNSS-independent navigation. The VNS kit employs a suite of downward-facing sensors, cameras, and onboard computing to perform Visual Inertial Odometry (VIO). This process captures and analyzes terrain imagery, estimating the aircraft’s true position in real time.

It calculates precise position, velocity, and orientation by fusing continuous visual data from the cameras with motion inputs from onboard inertial sensors. This allows the aircraft to maintain awareness of its location and trajectory when GNSS is unavailable.

AV Inc’s system automatically transitions between GNSS-enabled and GNSS-denied modes without requiring any pilot input, helping to ensure uninterrupted mission continuity in contested environments.

Jason Hendrix, Vice President of Small Uncrewed Systems for AV, commented, “Assured navigation is critical to the mission, especially as GNSS becomes an increasingly vulnerable resource. By fusing visual and inertial data in real time, the system enables uninterrupted flight paths, accurate geolocation, and mission continuity in unreliable GNSS regions.”

This upgrade follows other recent enhancements to the Puma LE platform, which includes the integration of a Laser Target Designator and the release of the Universal Gimbal Kit, evolving the platform beyond Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) into a precision-engagement system.

Trace Stevenson, President of Autonomous Systems at AV, commented on the platform’s evolution, stating, “Every upgrade to Puma LE, including the addition of the VNS kit and our new laser designator and gimbal capabilities, is driven by one goal: giving the warfighter greater confidence, flexibility, and capability. These recent releases are a great example of AV constantly evolving our platforms to ensure they are at the forefront of technology and providing best in class capability to the warfighter.”

The VNS Kit is available as an add-on option for new Puma 3 AE or Puma LE system orders. It is also offered as a retrofit kit, allowing existing Puma 2 AE, Puma 3 AE, and Puma LE customers to upgrade fielded systems. The compact, two-piece add-on installs easily into existing Pumas with minimal impact on performance and fits within the standard Puma cases for efficient mission packout.

The standard Puma LE system weighs 23.8 pounds and provides 6.5 hours of endurance, a 60-kilometer range, and is inaudible at 500 feet. It also features tool-free payload swaps for seamless transitions between ISR, targeting, and other mission sets.