August 14, 2026 - Silicon Sensing

In modern multi-domain operations, the availability of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) can no longer be guaranteed. Electronic Warfare (EW) tactics, once considered a rarity, are now standard practice in contested environments. Jamming and spoofing are routinely deployed to disrupt the Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) of uncrewed platforms, guided munitions, and tactical ground vehicles. For systems engineers and project managers tasked with developing the next generation of defence systems, the core challenge has shifted from optimal performance to operational resilience. 

Why Inertial Navigation Is the Answer to GNSS Denial

When GNSS is denied, platforms must draw on alternative sources of positioning data to keep PNT uninterrupted, and the method chosen must hold up without any external signal to lean on. This is where inertial navigation comes in: by tracking a platform's own motion, it can calculate position relative to a known starting point independent of any external reference. Historically, achieving the necessary accuracy for missions required Ring Laser Gyroscopes (RLGs) or Fibre-Optic Gyroscopes (FOGs). While highly precise, systems built on these technologies present significant integration challenges for modern autonomous systems, as they are heavy, bulky, power-hungry, and costly. What the mission demands, then, is a sensor that delivers that same class of precision without the weight, power draw, or price tag that has kept it out of reach for smaller, faster-moving platforms.

How Tactical MEMS Sensors Close the Performance Gap

High-performance, tactical MEMS inertial sensors close that gap. Advanced silicon architecture now allows these sensors to achieve levels of bias instability and Angle Random Walk (ARW) that rival traditional FOG systems, at a fraction of the size, weight, and cost. What was once a hard trade-off between precision and practicality is being rewritten: sensors small enough to fit inside a guided munition are now delivering navigation-grade performance once reserved for systems many times their size. And because inertial sensors neither emit nor receive Radio Frequency (RF) signals, they are immune to jamming and spoofing by design, offering platforms a resilient path to dead reckoning when GNSS is unavailable.

This performance is often achieved by the underlying mechanical design of the sensor. These sensors often utilise a silicon resonating ring structure, providing inherent advantages over traditional tuning-fork designs. The symmetrical geometry of a vibrating ring provides high resistance to linear shock and high-frequency vibration, which drastically reduces Vibration Rectification Error (VRE), ensuring that mechanical noise from engines, rotors, or rough terrain does not corrupt the navigation data.

Comprehensive thermal calibration spans the full military temperature range of -40°C to +85°C as a minimum, with certain sensors and systems qualified well beyond these limits where the operational envelope demands it. This ensures scale factor and bias characteristics remain predictable across the full range, eliminating the need for complex, power-heavy external thermal stabilisation systems. For systems engineers integrating these sensors into resilient navigation suites, the benefits extend beyond performance. Compact form factors simplify interface design, free up space for mission-critical payloads, and ease integration within tight enclosures. For project managers, these characteristics translate into reduced overall program risk, as simpler integration shortens development timelines.

The Future of PNT Resilience Is No Longer a Trade-Off

The result of this shift is straightforward: performance and SWaP-C no longer sit on opposite ends of a trade-off. Today's high-performance MEMS inertial sensors already deliver the reliability that GNSS-denied missions demand, and as silicon architecture continues to mature, tomorrow's sensors will push that resilience even further.