Performance limits for multiplatform scene-referenced navigation systems

The accuracy of aircraft/weapon navigation systems has improved dramatically since the introduction of global positioning systems and terrain-referenced navigation systems into integrated navigation suites. Future improvements, in terms of reliability and accuracy, could arise from the inclusion of navigation systems based on the correlation of known ground features with imagery from a visual band or infrared sensor, often called scene matching and area correlation or scene-referenced navigation. This paper considers the use of multi-platform fusion techniques to improve on the performance of individual scene-referenced navigation systems. Consideration is also given to the potential benefits of multi-platform fusion for scene-referenced object localization algorithms that could be used in association with infrared targeting aids.