Australian company Advanced Navigation has secured a 16-million-euro ($19 million) agreement to supply hundreds of Boreas inertial navigation systems to Norway’s Kongsberg for installation on the PROTECTOR counter-drone platform.
Boreas combines fiber-optic gyroscopes with other sensors to measure a platform’s movement and orientation.
It can also determine which direction is north by sensing the Earth’s rotation, without relying on GPS or a magnetic compass.
On a PROTECTOR weapon station, that information helps keep its sensors and weapons aligned as the platform moves.
GPS can provide a position fix under normal conditions, but its signals may be jammed or falsified.
Boreas uses its onboard measurements to continue providing navigation and orientation data when those signals cannot be trusted.
Advanced Navigation said this helps the weapon station maintain sensor alignment and aim at aerial targets in contested conditions.
Poland’s Counter-Drone Program
The Boreas systems will be installed on Kongsberg’s PROTECTOR platforms, which use remotely operated turrets and weapon stations to engage drones.
These platforms form part of a Polish order placed earlier this year with Kongsberg and defense group PGZ.
Under the 16-billion Norwegian kroner ($1.6 billion) contract, the companies will deliver 18 counter-drone batteries.
Each will combine sensors and command systems with weapons that include guns, missiles, and interceptor drones.
Polish firm Advanced Protection Systems, a PGZ subcontractor, will provide the command-and-control system linking those components to Poland’s wider air defense network.
Kongsberg also plans to expand its manufacturing capacity in Poland to support the deliveries.
