Kongsberg provides maritime gyro compasses for independence from GNSS

With real-world disruptions increasingly affecting shipping and aviation safety, Kongsberg Discovery’s MGCs (motion gyro compasses) deliver an alternative for reliability, accuracy and resilience in contested environments, according to the company.

Although traditional gyrocompasses are immune to GNSS signal-based attacks by design, many modern navigation systems incorporate GNSS data to enhance positioning accuracy. For maritime operators, having an autonomous and reliable source of heading and positioning data ensures safety and maintains operational continuity in contested or signal-denied environments. 

Kongsberg’s MGCs offer resilience, using high-grade strap-down inertial sensors that detect the Earth’s rotation without the need of external input. This allows them to determine true north and maintain precise heading without relying on GNSS. Unlike traditional mechanical gyros, Kongsberg’s MGCs can estimate latitude internally. This ensures consistent accuracy from equatorial regions to the poles. 

The system also supports Doppler-based seabed and water-column tracking to determine vessel velocity, eliminating the need for satellite-derived speed data.

MGC Highlights

Kongsberg’s MGCs provide resilient navigation with advanced inertial technology and motion reference capabilities that enable:

• Continuous latitude estimation from Earth’s rotation measurements
• Accurate heading, roll, pitch and heave without GNSS
• Versatile support for velocity tracking and input

This robust combination ensures that even when GNSS signals are lost or manipulated by spoofing or jamming, the MGC continues to operate with high precision – offering a resilient navigation backbone when it’s most needed.

Kongsberg’s MGCs are designed to be maintenance-free, eliminating the need for frequent calibration or mechanical upkeep. Other features include:

• IMO type-approved: Fully compliant with global navigation standards
• Maintenance-free design: No spinning parts and no mechanical drift
• Versatile integration: Can be used standalone or seamlessly incorporated into an INS (inertial navigation system)

According to Kongsberg, these attributes make the MGCs suitable for commercial and passenger vessels, offshore platforms and naval ships operating in challenging environments.