Relative navigation for aerial refueling of an unmanned aerial vehicle

摘要

A method and system for navigating an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for aerial refueling is described. A system processor in the UAV receives navigation data from a tanker aircraft and calculates a plurality of relative navigation solutions with respect to the tanker aircraft. The system processor compares the plurality of relative navigation solutions to identify any inconsistent solutions. The inconsistent solutions are discarded and the system processor navigates the UAV in position for refueling using the remaining relative navigation solutions.

主权项

1. A system for aerial refueling navigating an unmanned aerial vehicle relative to a tanker aircraft, comprising in combination:
a processor; data storage; and machine language instructions stored in the data storage executable by the processor to: calculate a plurality of relative navigation solutions between an unmanned aerial vehicle and a tanker aircraft; compare the plurality of relative navigation solutions to identify relative navigation solutions that are within a threshold value of each other; and navigate the unmanned aerial vehicle with respect to the tanker aircraft using the relative navigation solutions that are within the threshold value of each other.