The Paveway GBU-50.

Raytheon Company has completed delivery of more than 200 Paveway GBU-50 guidance kits to a European partner.

The GBU-50 provides the 2,000-pound MK-84 or the BLU-109 penetrator with all-weather GPS navigation combined with precision terminal laser guidance. A full range of selectable terminal impact angles combined with a mature combat-proven, height-of-burst maximizes the capabilities of both the MK-84 and BLU-109.

“This delivery is a significant milestone for the Enhanced Paveway II program as it provides unique capabilities to our allies,” said Harry Schulte, vice president of Raytheon Missile Systems’ Air Warfare Systems. “As we begin our second production run of the GBU-50, we have substantial interest from the international community.”

Each Enhanced Paveway II guidance and control section is compatible with warheads ranging from the 250-pound MK-81 to the 2,000-pound MK-84 along with the BLU-109. There is no need for the warfighter to acquire a different guidance and control section for different warhead use.

According to Raytheon, the Paveway family of laser-guided and GPS and laser-guided bombs, has revolutionized tactical air-to-ground warfare by converting “dumb” bombs into precision-guided munitions. Paveway laser-guided bomb kits comprised more than half the air-to-ground precision-guided weapons used in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and Unified Protector.

“We kept the design of the enhanced SPAN-CPT identical to our legacy product to ensure a seamless upgrade process for our customers who would like to take advantage of the improved positioning capabilities,” said Jason Hamilton, NovAtel director of marketing. “The enhanced SPAN-CPT is fully backwards compatible with the previous generation of product. It retains the same compact form factor with identical pin-out and log structure.”

As with the previous generation product, the upgraded SPAN-CPT integrates NovAtel’s precision receiver technology with fiber optic gyro and MEMS accelerometer inertial components from KVH Industries in one compact unit. The tight-coupling of the GNSS and INS technologies optimizes the raw GNSS and IMU data, delivering a superior position, velocity and attitude solution, NovAtel said. Comprised entirely of commercial components, the SPAN-CPT minimizes the operational complexities of working across international boundaries.

Production of the OEM6 supported SPAN-CPT begins June 1.

Using DeLorme’s Earthmate App, inReach SE pairs wirelessly with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch to access topographic maps and NOAA charts and to make text messaging more convenient. inReach SE is also compatible with Android devices.

With the ability to maintain satellite signal lock even in difficult GPS environments, inReach SE also offers global SOS capabilities, adjustable tracking intervals from 10 minutes to four hours, and remote real-time follow-me/find-me tracking and ping-me locating. In the event of an emergency, the interactive SOS capability of inReach automatically triggers remote tracking and allows users to describe and update their situation so proper resources can be deployed, DeLorme said.

“Whether you’re deep in the backwoods, floating on a remote lake, or simply traveling abroad, anyone can benefit from the comprehensive functionality of inReach SE,” said Michael

Heffron, DeLorme CEO. “Over the last two years we have been listening to customer feedback, so the next generation of inReach includes many new features based on their input. The internal rechargeable battery and the on-screen, free-form texting are especially beneficial, making on-the-go communications more convenient and delivering peace of mind to family and friends easier than ever before.”

inReach operates over the Iridium satellite network, providing global two-way satellite communications, high network reliability and low-latency data links (less than 60 second delivery of messages end-to-end) anywhere on Earth, with no gaps, fringe or weak signal areas, DeLorme said.

The follow me / find me tracking feature of inReach provides GPS position updates allowing family and friends to follow the user’s trip as it happens. Family and friends can log into a dedicated MapShare page to follow a detailed breadcrumb trail, ping a location, and send messages to the inReach owner. In the event of an emergency, the built-in SOS button can be activated to trigger a distress alert with delivery confirmation and it automatically activates the remote GPS tracking feature. GPS tracking assists search-and-rescue personnel with homing in on the user’s location, whether stationary or on the move.

Pairing the inReach SE via Bluetooth with the Earthmate App turns a mobile device into a global satellite communicator and navigation tool. Real-time GPS location, tracking and text messages are overlaid on the digital maps for easy navigation and position location. inReach owners get exclusive, unlimited access to DeLorme’s topographic maps and North American NOAA charts, which can be downloaded via an Internet connection prior to departure and remain available in the Earthmate App even when outside cellular coverage.

DARPA researchers at the University of Michigan report that they have made significant progress with a timing and inertial measurement unit (TIMU) that contains everything needed to aid navigation when GPS is temporarily unavailable. The single-chip TIMU prototype contains a six-axis IMU (three gyroscopes and three accelerometers) and integrates a highly-accurate master clock into a single miniature system, smaller than the size of a penny. This chip integrates devices (clocks, gyroscopes and accelerometers), materials and designs from DARPA’s Micro-Technology for Positioning, Navigation and Timing (Micro-PNT) program.

Three pieces of information are needed to navigate between known points A and B with precision: orientation, acceleration and time. This new chip integrates tiny devices that can measure all three simultaneously. The design is accomplished through new fabrication processes in high-quality materials for multi-layered, packaged inertial sensors and a timing unit, in a tiny 10-millimeter-square package. Each of the six microfabricated layers of the TIMU is only 50 microns thick, approximately the thickness of a human hair.  Each layer has a different function, akin to floors in a building.

“Both the structural layer of the sensors and the integrated package are made of silica,” said Andrei Shkel, DARPA program manager. “The hardness and the high-performance material properties of silica make it the material of choice for integrating all of these devices into a miniature package. The resulting TIMU is small enough and should be robust enough for applications (when GPS is unavailable or limited for a short period of time) such as personnel tracking, handheld navigation, small diameter munitions and small airborne platforms.”

The goal of the Micro-Technology for Positioning, Navigation and Timing (Micro-PNT) program is to develop technology for self-contained, chip-scale inertial navigation and precision guidance.  Other recent breakthroughs from Micro-PNT include new microfabrication methods and materials for inertial sensors.

The technology uses low-power, low-cost sensors and the device concept is small enough to clip on a belt. It also doesn’t need any existing internal infrastructure.

“We are excited about the many possibilities this cutting-edge technology opens up and the impact it can have in many different situations,” said Geoff Smithson, technology director, sensing systems, at Cambridge Consultants. “It could be used to help locate firefighters in smoke-filled buildings, for example, or to pinpoint the closest doctor in a hospital during an emergency — or to track offenders during home curfews. We are just starting to see the potential of this approach and the diverse demand for this type of low-energy, highly accurate system.”

Indoor tracking systems, which process data from one or more sources of location information to estimate where a person or object is located, are not new. But they often rely on RF signals from Wi-Fi access points or custom infrastructure, poor-quality GPS signals or expensive, high-quality sensors. The availability of low-cost smartphone components — including accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers and pressure sensors — has enabled a new generation of location devices and applications, when combined with a tailored Bayesian algorithm to fuse the information.

The new technology platform can be embedded in an existing design or operate as a stand-alone unit, with options to compute the location locally or transmit the information to a remote system that can process the data before visualizing it on a smartphone app.

“Our biggest challenges were developing an algorithm which optimally combines the data from GPS and the other sensors, and overcoming the issues of using such low-cost sensors in a system without any absolute location reference,” said Smithson.

Cambridge Consultants specializes in developing low-cost, low-power connected devices for clients with a team of experts with sensing, wireless and software  engineering expertise. The latest technology builds on the company’s tracking and location systems experience in a variety of market sectors ranging from defense and security to consumer, industrial, and oil and gas.

“Handheld is proud to have achieved an industry-leading position for dependable, ruggedized mobile computers that can be trusted to work in the most hostile environments” said Jerker Hellström, CEO Handheld Group, “To achieve this extremely high-level of performance, we only select components with the highest reliability on the  market. GPS positioning is one of the most important functionalities of our products. For this mission-critical feature, we chose u-blox.”

Handheld’s lineup of rugged PDAs and mobile computers is specifically developed for use in tough environments in industries such as geomatics, logistics, forestry, public transportation, construction, mining, field service, utilities, maintenance, public safety, military and security.

Janam’s XT85 offers a complete set of features that enterprises require in a rugged wireless wide area device, at a price point that makes extending enterprise mobility affordable, Janam said. It is equipped with high-sensitivity GPS with anti-jamming technology.

The XT85 survives multiple 5-foot drops to concrete at temperature extremes (and 6-foot drops at room temperature), offers a 3.5-inch high-transmissivity display that maximizes outdoor readability while minimizing power consumption, offers advanced 4G-ready cellular network connectivity with five-band UMTS for global roaming, and is small and lightweight.

“Purpose-built mobile computers must appeal to today’s information worker who expects a device that is small, light, fast and highly capable while also serving the business needs of the enterprise for whom the mobile worker is performing mission-critical tasks,” said Harry B. Lerner, CEO of Janam. “Janam’s XT85 is optimized to appeal to both constituencies. It’s much more than a smart phone. It’s a brilliant PDA.”

In addition to 4G-ready UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA/GSM wireless wide area network communication, the XT85 is equipped with 802.11 a/b/g/n WLAN with enterprise-grade security and Bluetooth.  It is available with the SE965HP laser engine from Motorola or Honeywell’s Adaptus Imaging technology. Purpose-built to accommodate the realities of work processes and environments, the XT85 is UL-certified for use in hazardous environments, sealed to IP65 standards and available with QWERTY or numeric keypads.

The ground-based eLoran system provides alternative position and timing signals for improved navigational safety. The Dover area, the world’s busiest shipping lane, is the first in the world to achieve this initial operational capability (IOC) for shipping companies operating both passenger and cargo services.

Today’s announcement represents the first of up to seven eLoran installations to be implemented along the East Coast of the United Kingdom. The Thames Estuary and approaches up to Tilbury, the Humber Estuary and approaches, and the ports of Middlesbrough, Grangemouth and Aberdeen will all benefit from new installations, and the prototype service at Harwich and Felixstowe will be upgraded, the GLA said.

Although primarily intended as a maritime aid to navigation, eLoran could become a cost-effective backup for a wide range of applications that are becoming increasingly reliant on the position and timing information provided by satellite systems.

“Our primary concern at the GLA is for the safety of mariners,” said Captain Ian McNaught, Chief Executive of Trinity House. “But signals from eLoran transmitters could also provide essential backup to telecommunications, smart grid and high frequency trading systems vulnerable to jamming by natural or deliberate means. We encourage ship owners and mariners to assess eLoran in this region and provide feedback to the GLA on its performance.”

P&O Ferries has installed an eLoran receiver on its new vessel Spirit of Britain. She will be based at Dover and is one of the largest passenger ships the busy Dover/Calais route has ever seen.

“Accurate real-time positional information is essential for the safe navigation of ships with modern electronic charts,” Captain Simon Richardson, head of Safety Management at P&O Ferries, said. “Satellite navigation systems are vulnerable to degradation of signal strength and our ships have also experienced occasional loss of signal. We welcome the development of a robust alternative to provide redundancy in real-time positional information and we see eLoran as the most effective solution to countering the problem.”

Commenting on the announcement Stephen Hammond, Minister for Shipping, said, “I congratulate the General Lighthouse Authorities on this initiative that seeks to improve navigational safety in what is the busiest shipping channel in the world, through the development and deployment of technology. I look forward to receiving reports of its effectiveness.”