Northrop Grumman OA navigation system enters Phase II of DARPA ASPN contract
NewsApril 22, 2013
WOODLAND HILLS, CA. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded Northrop Grumman a follow-on contract to demonstrate an open architecture, plug-n-play navigation system for the All Source Positioning and Navigation (ASPN). The 18-month Phase II contract will result in an implementation of the system into Android-based handheld devices to exhibit the system’s scalability.
The open architecture system will also be able to accommodate any combination of a large number of sensors and measurements from multiple vendors, reducing integration costs. Using a scalable node architecture, the reconfigurable plug-and-play system is scalable across navigation systems, from high-end aircraft navigators to personal devices.
"This architecture for plug-and-play navigation systems will increase the flexibility and effectiveness of the sensors available to the warfighters," says Northrop Grumman vice president and chief technologist Charles Volk. "The ability to dynamically modify the navigation sensor sources will be a force multiplier for the warfighters."
The ASPN program was developed to deliver a product using Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) software. Using industry-accepted standards and interfaces ensures the openness of ASPN products and helps mitigate obsolescence.
