Vision Aided Navigation
Overview
Vision Aided Navigation Honeywell’s Vision Aided Navigation (VAN) system delivers resilient, GPS-denied navigation by leveraging real-time image correlation against onboard reference maps. This passive, sensor-agnostic solution enables accurate and reliable positioning across a wide range of environments and mission profiles—day or night, in dynamic or degraded conditions.
Key Benefits
System Features
Part of a Layered Navigation Strategy
Vision Aided Navigation is a foundational element of Honeywell’s Alternative Navigation Suite, which also includes:
Together, these technologies form a robust, multi-modal navigation architecture that ensures mission continuity in the most challenging environments—supporting both defense and commercial aviation needs.
Honeywell’s Alternative Navigation Architecture (HANA)
Provides the software backbone for integrating Vision Aided Navigation with other modalities like magnetic, celestial, and inertial inputs—enabling robust, fused navigation performance in GPS-denied environments. Its modular design ensures seamless support for VAN’s real-time image correlation and absolute positioning capabilities across diverse mission profiles.
Key Benefits
- True Absolute Positioning: Delivers drift-free navigation by matching live imagery to preloaded maps, ensuring consistent accuracy even during extended GPS outages
- Sensor Agnostic: Compatible with a wide range of optical sensors (visible, infrared, etc.), enabling flexible integration across platforms and mission types
- Low Map Storage Requirements: Efficient algorithms allow large-area coverage without the need for mission-specific databases
- Robust to Environmental Change: Performs reliably despite lighting variations, seasonal changes, or map staleness.
- Passive and Secure: Immune to jamming, spoofing, or detection—ideal for contested environments.
System Features
- Software-only solution available Q3 2025
- Hardware options also available
- Compatible with Honeywell Compact Inertial Navigation System (HCINS) and other inertial platforms
- Designed for integration into Honeywell’s broader Resilient Navigation architecture
Part of a Layered Navigation Strategy
Vision Aided Navigation is a foundational element of Honeywell’s Alternative Navigation Suite, which also includes:
- Magnetic Anomaly Aided Navigation
- Celestial Navigation
Together, these technologies form a robust, multi-modal navigation architecture that ensures mission continuity in the most challenging environments—supporting both defense and commercial aviation needs.
Honeywell’s Alternative Navigation Architecture (HANA)
Provides the software backbone for integrating Vision Aided Navigation with other modalities like magnetic, celestial, and inertial inputs—enabling robust, fused navigation performance in GPS-denied environments. Its modular design ensures seamless support for VAN’s real-time image correlation and absolute positioning capabilities across diverse mission profiles.
