Performance Needs for Advanced Kinetic Energy Missiles' Inertial Measurement Units

A large number of commercial and military applications call for the use of inertial measurement units (IMUS). These applications vary vastly, however a new era is dawning where the need for and utilization of IMUS which can navigate through steady-state high acceleration environments are growing. These instruments will have to be very near or completely solid state because of the high acceleration loading. The performance of these instruments will be characterized by broader dynamic range, minimal nonlinear effects, higher noise rejection capability, but not necessarily low drift rate performance. These performance characteristics are driven by flight times on the order of a few seconds. These instruments must also exhibit small volume, low power, and low cost. An example of this type of IMU is the one needed for the Advanced Kinetic Energy Missile (ADKEM). ADKEM is a hypervelocity multi-role tactical missile which requires inertial grade navigation performance through a 1000-g environment.