Inertial Labs, a VIAVI Solutions Inc. company, has launched IRINS, a Low Earth Orbit (LEO)-aided Inertial Navigation System (INS) designed to allow full operation across land, air and sea in Denied, Degraded and Disrupted Space Operating Environments (D3SOE).
By integrating the capabilities of an INS, an Altitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS), and a LEO Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) receiver, the platform represents a major milestone in VIAVI’s Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing (APNT) portfolio, combining Inertial Labs’ inertial navigation capabilities with Jackson Labs’ specialist timing expertise.
The IRINS embedded system has been developed to counter the exponentially rising number of spoofing and jamming attacks that have affected military and critical infrastructure. Now, resilient LEO-based PNT and inertial navigation are available within a fully integrated system from a single vendor.
Housed in a compact enclosure measuring 126.5 × 49.3 × 53.3 mm, the device is built to withstand harsh conditions, carrying IP67 and MIL-STD-810G certifications. The hardware utilizes a fully calibrated tactical-grade MEMS 3-axis accelerometer, gyroscope and clock, supplemented by embedded barometers, magnetometers, and an optional onboard air-data computer. For satellite-based data, the system utilizes the STL-2600 receiver module, which connects to the Iridium LEO constellation to provide a GNSS-independent source of timing and location.
To further secure operations, the system includes a GNSS receiver equipped with a Controlled Reception Pattern Antenna (CRPA) port, designed to detect and eliminate malicious attack signals. This multi-layered approach allows the system to calculate altitude, velocity, and position while actively minimizing the bias that typically causes navigational drift in traditional sensors.
Jamie Marraccini, Vice President, Inertial Labs Products, VIAVI, commented, “The IRINS is the first fruit borne of VIAVI’s visionary strategy to mitigate vulnerabilities in positioning, navigation and timing, bringing together resilient satellite-based timing with tactical-grade IMUs to deliver the most precise PNT for GNSS-denied environments. By tightly coupling inertial sensing, LEO-based timing and navigation and anti-jam GNSS technologies into a single platform, the IRINS provides unmatched continuity, accuracy and trust for operations in contested and denied environments.”
The integration of these technologies allows for a single-vendor solution that merges the inertial expertise of Inertial Labs with the timing capabilities of Jackson Labs. This synergy is intended to provide a resilient alternative when traditional satellite signals are unavailable or compromised.
Maynard Porter, Director, Government PNT Business, Iridium, added, “Assured access to PNT is critical for operations in contested environments. Integrating Iridium PNT alongside VIAVI’s INS and AHRS provides users with an exceptionally resilient source of time and location data to maintain operational effectiveness when GNSS signals are disrupted.”
