The technological evolution of inertial reference systems

The laser gyro based inertial reference system (IRS) has become the standard for transport aircraft since introduced on the Boeing 767/757 in September 1982. Integration of the air data function, first introduced into production on the Airbus A.320 in 1988, produced the Air Data Inertial Reference Systems (ADIRS). Honeywell has evolved the technology through a series of innovations that have led the industry: 1982-HG 1050 10 MCU IRS, 1988-HG 1150 10 MCU ADIRS, 1991-advanced ARINC 704 4 MCU IRS/ADIRS, 1995-HG 2060 fault-tolerant ADIRU. This paper describes the characteristics and performance of each of these IRS/ADIRS as examples of the technology evolution and projects this evolution to arrive at the probable configuration of inertial systems of the future. In addition, the benefits to the user community in terms of performance, reliability and operating costs are reviewed.