Northrop Grumman’s Navigation Tech Flies on Hypersonic Test Vehicle

Northrop Grumman recently demonstrated its advanced inertial measurement unit (IMU) during two successful hypersonic test flights of Stratolaunch’s Talon-A vehicle. The flights, conducted in December and March, featured the IMU as part of efforts to enable navigation and maneuvering without relying on GPS — a critical capability in environments where GPS may be compromised by weather, terrain, or electronic interference.

According to Jonathan Green, Northrop’s CTO for emerging capabilities development, the IMU met all objectives and withstood the extreme conditions of hypersonic flight, marking a significant milestone. “The fact that it survived and functioned as intended through the test is an incredibly positive step forward,” he told Defense News.

The Pentagon confirmed these Talon-A tests this week, calling them the first successful flights of a reusable hypersonic aircraft since the X-15 program ended in 1968. As the U.S. ramps up investment in hypersonic technologies, the Talon-A serves as a key platform for validating subsystems essential to next-generation high-speed systems.

Northrop’s new IMU uses sophisticated sensors to determine a vehicle’s motion and trajectory, enabling precise navigation even at speeds above Mach 5. Josei Chang, senior director of advanced technologies at Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, said the unit performed accurately during the test flights.

While the company has built IMUs for spacecraft before, this model is specifically engineered to be smaller, more durable, and suited for the demanding conditions of hypersonic air travel.