Safran Selects SkyNaute Inertial Navigation System for Airbus A220, Its First Commercial Aviation Win
Why It MattersSafran's jam-resistant inertial navigation now crosses from military platforms into a mainstream commercial airliner, adding a satellite-independent positioning option as GNSS interference becomes a wider concern for aircraft makers.
Safran Electronics & Defense announced on 20 October 2026 that its SkyNaute inertial navigation system will equip the Airbus A220, marking the system's entry into commercial aviation. SkyNaute combines inertial navigation with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data to maintain an accurate estimate of an aircraft's trajectory, including when satellite signals are unavailable, jammed or spoofed. At its core is Safran's patented Hemispherical Resonator Gyroscope (HRG), which has no spinning rotor and instead measures rotation through a controlled vibration pattern inside a small hemisphere.
SkyNaute had previously been selected for military aircraft, helicopters and drones operated by several European armed forces. According to Safran's product specifications, it weighs 3 kg, has a volume of 3 litres and consumes 20 W of power, and the company says this low weight, size and power consumption can simplify installation and reduce onboard mass. An HRG does not determine geographical position on its own; the complete inertial system combines gyroscope and accelerometer data to estimate attitude, velocity and position, with GNSS used to correct accumulated errors when available, since inertial errors generally accumulate over time without external corrections.
Safran said its HRG technology is developed and industrialised at its Montluçon site in central France, and recalled a €120 million investment announced in June 2026 to expand and modernise the site. The aim is to triple annual HRG production capacity from 10,000 to 30,000 units by 2032, a figure that concerns HRGs generally, which can be used in various systems, and not SkyNaute alone. The selection comes as Airbus continues to ramp up A220 production towards a target of 13 aircraft per month in 2028.
