You can see the astro-tracking system under the round window to the right of the B-2's cockpit in this image. USAF
Warzone/The Drive: SR-71's "R2-D2" Could Be The Key To Winning Future Fights In GPS Denied Environments
Our ancestors did it and so did the SR-71 Blackbird, now this ancient form of navigation could be set for a major comeback.
With all the technology at our fingertips today, the very idea of celestial navigation remains a romantic and even a bit bewildering one. It harkens back to a time when mankind had a much richer connection with the heavens above. But the truth is the task of navigating by the stars became increasingly automated and miniaturized as a necessity of the Cold War. The advent of the Global Position System (GPS) and the diminished threat of all-out nuclear armageddon left advanced celestial navigation capabilities for a small number of weapon systems and the history books. But now, with the possibility of having to fight in a combat environment where GPS and all its benefits are denied, updated automated "astro-nav" capabilities may represent one of the best and most proven ways of overcoming this challenge.
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WNU Editor: This is really cool stuff.
1 comment:
It's a lost art, but something you still have to know to get your advanced skippers license. Some great stories from the old timers trying to find the Shimada sea mount using dead reckoning, timing, and just and up and down bottom pinger. If you were off just a bit you were totally screwed!
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