- Safran Federal Systems completed a flight test of its Blacknaute inertial navigation system on a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk, confirming accurate navigation without GPS in electronic warfare conditions.
- The test supports U.S. Army efforts to field assured navigation systems that maintain aircraft operations when satellite signals are denied or disrupted.
Safran Federal Systems has completed a successful flight demonstration of its Blacknaute inertial navigation system aboard a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, the company announced on January 21, confirming the system’s ability to operate accurately in GPS-denied and electronically contested environments.
The test flight validated that the Blacknaute system maintained precise navigation performance without reliance on satellite navigation signals, a capability increasingly demanded as modern battlefields face widespread jamming and spoofing threats.
As noted by the company, the flight confirmed that Blacknaute sustained inertial drift of less than 0.4 nautical miles per hour over several hours of operation, meeting operational requirements for rotary-wing aircraft operating in degraded or denied navigation conditions.
“Our demonstration onboard the Army Black Hawk showcases the tactical readiness of Blacknaute,” said Jon Leombrone, Executive Vice President of Navigation Systems at Safran Federal Systems. “The system maintained drift of less than 0.4 nautical miles per hour over several hours—proof of its SWaP-optimized, NAVWAR-resilient design engineered for rapid deployment across the Joint Force.”
Blacknaute was developed as an Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing (A-PNT) solution for multi-domain operations, including air, land, sea, space, and cyber environments. The system is intended to provide continuous navigation and timing data when Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are unavailable or unreliable due to electronic attack or signal interference.
Safran Federal Systems said the system is purpose-built for operations where GPS signals are jammed, spoofed, or deliberately denied, a scenario that has become common in recent conflicts and military exercises. The company emphasized that the flight demonstration confirms the system’s readiness for integration into operational U.S. Army aviation platforms.
The Blacknaute system integrates several navigation and timing technologies into a compact unit weighing less than 16 pounds, making it suitable for helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and other platforms with limited space and power margins.
At the core of the system is Safran’s HRG Dual Core technology, a hemispherical resonator gyro platform that the company says has been fielded in more than 40,000 units and accumulated over 30 million operational hours across defense and aerospace applications. The gyro provides inertial reference data independent of external signals, allowing continued navigation in denied environments.
The system also includes an M-Code-ready GNSS receiver, enabling secure operation with military-grade satellite navigation signals when available, as well as multi-constellation compatibility for improved resilience. For timing, Blacknaute incorporates an ultra-stable atomic clock that Safran says can maintain accuracy with a drift of less than one second over 30,000 years, supporting synchronization of mission systems even when external timing sources are lost.
To address active electronic threats, the system features built-in interference detection and mitigation functions designed to identify and counter GPS jamming and spoofing attempts in real time. Safran stated that this capability improves aircraft survivability and mission continuity in electronic warfare environments.
The architecture is compliant with U.S. military open systems standards, including MIL-STD interfaces and TSO-C220 requirements, enabling integration with modular avionics and mission systems already in service across U.S. and allied platforms.
The successful demonstration aboard a UH-60 Black Hawk highlights the U.S. Army’s growing focus on assured navigation for rotary-wing aviation, which often operates at low altitude and in contested airspace. Helicopters are particularly vulnerable to navigation disruption due to terrain masking and proximity to ground-based electronic warfare systems.
According to Safran, Blacknaute is designed to support rapid fielding across multiple Army and joint platforms without requiring major aircraft modifications. The company said the system’s open architecture allows it to be integrated into existing avionics suites as part of ongoing modernization programs.
Safran Federal Systems provides navigation and PNT solutions to Safran Defense & Space, supporting classified and unclassified U.S. defense programs that require resilient navigation and timing under combat conditions.