Promising Aircraft Navigation Systems with Use of Physical Fields: Stationary Magnetic Field Gradient, Gravity Gradient, Alternating Magnetic Field

The report presents the analysis of opportunities of aircraft navigation systems development with regard to the aid of onboard geophysical fields measurements. We consider some prospective systems which today are not widely used: magnetic gradiometers that measure stationary magnetic field gradient, gravity gradiometers that measure gravity field gradient, electromagnetic systems that measure the alternating part of magnetic field. We discuss the main tasks that have to be solved during airborne measurements of these parameters. We give a review of algorithms and hardware solutions. We present some examples of onboard measurements and estimate the possible navigation accuracy.