Safran Electronics & Defense has developed a compact three-function naval system called NAVKITE to provide position, navigation, and timing (PNT) for semi-rigid marine vessels. The system will be introduced at the SOFINS 2023 Special Forces seminar and exhibition.
NAVKITE is designed according to the requirements of French naval commandos and special forces operations to provide precise synchronization and geolocation of naval forces in hostile, signal-jammed environments. It's will be integrated into the company’s ECUME system.
The NAVKITE system was developed in partnership with the French Navy’s FUSCOLAB R&D laboratory. The hybrid navigation system incorporates Safran’s GEONYX M inertial navigation system and its VersaSync time/frequency server into a compact unit (see image above).
The system provides secure transmission of position, navigation, and timing data for a marine vessel, but it's compact and transportable for use during land-based missions. Following sea trials based out of the Lorient naval base (Brittany, France), the NAVKITE system was deployed during February 2023 in the joint services exercise HEMEX during phase 2 of ORION, a large-scale operation for resilient, innovative, and interoperable armed forces.