Northrop Grumman has successfully flight-tested its advanced airborne navigation solution, Embedded Global Positioning System (GPS) / Inertial Navigation System (INS) Modernization, known as EGI-M. It is the first time that EGI-M, equipped with an M-Code capable receiver, has been tested in flight.
The technology reportedly allows aircraft to conduct operations in GPS-contested and GPS-denied environments. The test assessed the performance of the system’s M-Code receiver, engineered to quickly transmit positioning, navigation, and timing information.
The fully operational EGI-M system will feature a modular platform interface designed to easily integrate with current platform navigation systems, supporting advanced software and hardware technology upgrades now and in the future.
“This flight test is a major step forward in developing our next-generation airborne navigation system. The EGI-M capability developed by Northrop Grumman enables our warfighters to navigate accurately and precisely through hostile and contested environments,” said Ryan Arrington, vice president of navigation and cockpit systems at Northrop Grumman.
The flight test data confirmed that Northrop Grumman’s prototype EGI-M solution, the M-Code capable LN-351, performed at standards equal to its current LN-251 INS / GPS system, featuring modern fiber optic gyro technology.
The critical design review for EGI-M was completed in 2020 thanks to the system’s effective jamming-resistant feature. Northrop Grumman‘s EGI-M will be integrated into the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and the F-22 Raptor aircraft. Additional fixed-wing and rotary-wing platforms across the Department of Defense and allied forces have selected Northrop Grumman’s EGI-M as their future navigation solution to support mission-critical systems.
