AUSA 2022: Collins displays MAPS Gen II and DAPS solutions

The components of MAPS Gen II displayed at the AUSA 2022. (Giles Ebbutt)

Collins Aerospace, part of Raytheon Technologies, showcased its Mounted Assured Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (APNT) System (MAPS) Gen II programme solution for the US Army at the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) 2022 annual convention in Washington, DC, held from 10 to 12 October.

Announced in September 2022, Collins Aerospace was awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) production contract for the army's MAPS Gen II programme, with a ceiling value of USD583 million.

Philippe Limondin, senior director, guidance and navigation solutions at Collins Aerospace, told Janes that the initial order was for 500 systems in the next year, on top of the 153 already delivered, and the low-rate initial production (LRIP) total would be “in the order of 8,000”.

MAPS Gen II has two elements, the NavHub-100 and the Multi-Sensor Antenna System (MSAS-100). A high-integrity fusion engine inside the NavHub provides the fusion of different sensor data, including global navigation satellite services (GNSS), inertial measurement units (IMUs), wheel speed, and other possibilities such as terrain mapping, celestial navigation, or optical tracking. The NavHub-100 provides an integrity check, removes inconsistency in the sensor data, and then distributes the solution.

Integrated with the NavHub, the MSAS-100 is a seven-element Controlled Reception Pattern Antenna (CRPA) Global Positioning System (GPS) anti-jam (AJ) antenna, which supports 24 simultaneous steered beams. It also includes an AltNav single-patch antenna, a barometer, and an orientation sensor (essentially a compass), which can provide additional sensing data.