赛峰的抗干扰惯性导航系统 SkyNaute 将在空客A220上首次投入商业应用

The Airbus A220 will fly with SkyNaute, the inertial navigation system from Safran Electronics & Defense, which in this way makes its debut in commercial aviation. According to Safran, the equipment combines inertial navigation with hybridized satellite positioning (GNSS) data and keeps an accurate trajectory even when those signals are unavailable or are being jammed or spoofed. It is a capability inherited from the military field that, as the company itself points out, is gaining weight in civil aviation amid the rise of this type of interference in different regions of the world. At the heart of the system is the hemispherical resonator gyroscope (HRG), patented by Safran. With no mechanical parts subject to wear, the sensor is compact and robust in demanding environments. According to the specifications published by the manufacturer, SkyNaute weighs 3 kg, occupies three litres and consumes 20 W, which, according to Safran, simplifies installation and reduces weight on board. Until now, SkyNaute had been selected for military aircraft, helicopters and drones of several European armed forces, among them the French forces' Airbus Helicopters H160M Guépard, a contract announced in 2022. In advanced air mobility, Safran supplies it for the eVTOL of Eve Air Mobility, an Embraer subsidiary, with two units per aircraft, and it was also chosen for the Midnight of Archer Aviation and the Generation 6 of Wisk Aero. HRG production is concentrated in Montluçon, in central France, where the component was developed and industrialized. In June, Safran Electronics & Defense announced an investment of €120 million to expand and modernize that plant and triple its manufacturing capacity, from 10,000 to 30,000 units per year by 2032. “Seeing SkyNaute take its place on board the Airbus A220 is a source of immense pride for our teams: for the first time, our inertial navigation system will fly on a commercial aircraft,” said Benjamin Declety, director of the global avionics business unit at Safran Electronics & Defense, who thanked Airbus for its confidence.