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Pacmanpacman@swiss.social
Oct 19, 2026, 4:31 PM
@Npars01 @randahl @kleisli Re. "...Satellite's reduced latency is required for modern drone & missile warfare....": why do drones need satellite links ? Why can't they use inertial navigation ? The technology has been available for years, most airliners have been using it for years, it obviates the need for vulnerable GPS location finding, and it provides position data with centimeter accuracy. The chips cost pennies and are nowadays even installed in model airplanes.
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Nicole ParsonsNpars01@mstdn.social
Oct 19, 2026, 4:47 PM
@pacman @randahl @kleisli
Musk markets Starlink to petrostate despots & oil oligarchs for drone warfare using his satellites for a reason.
Megalomaniac oligarchs want autonomy from state control so he can sell to anyone. Or extort anyone.
Inertial guidance systems don't provide as much capacity for "double tap" coordination & synergy.
https://missilematters.substack.com/p/can-ukraine-jam-russian-ballistic
https://news.uchicago.edu/story/how-quantum-technology-can-help-pilots-navigate-more-safely
https://www.imeche.org/news/news-article/how-can-engineers-keep-drones-flying-when-gps-can-t-be-trusted
https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/adi.0146
https://ploughshares.ca/the-risks-of-hypersonic-weapons/
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Pacmanpacman@swiss.social
Oct 19, 2026, 5:08 PM
@Npars01 @randahl @kleisli Thank you so much for this superb and pertinent set of references (except the last which was someone singing a song). VERY useful and I'm saving them for future reference. It's a long time since I used inertial nav and a lot seems to have changed since. Recently I chatted with a group of children flying model planes on a nearby field. They were simulating approaches to a virtual runway using inertial nav. I was amazed that IN now only needs a cheap chip, no gyros.
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Nicole ParsonsNpars01@mstdn.social
Oct 19, 2026, 6:59 PM
@pacman @randahl @kleisli
Fat fingered error corrected.
Wrong link copy/pasted.
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Dr. Eric J. Fielding, PhDEricFielding@mastodon.social
Oct 19, 2026, 6:35 PM
@pacman @Npars01 @randahl @kleisli Inertial navigation is good but it is not even close to cm accuracy. It will drift with time so aircraft need at least occasional GPS or GNSS fixes to calibrate drift.
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