VectorNav Technologies has announced a new strategic partnership with NavtechGPS to market and include the VN-200 GPS/INS and the VN-100 IMU/AHRS into their extensive catalogue of GNSS-related products.

Released in July of 2012, VectorNav's VN-200 is the world's first GPS-aided inertial navigation system (GPS/INS) in a surface mount package.

Incorporating a suite of individually calibrated, MEMS-based 3-axis accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers, along with a barometric pressure sensor and a high-sensitivity GPS module, the VN-200 provides users with a coupled position, velocity and attitude solution at rates of up to 200 Hz.

"We see an ever-increasing demand for low-cost, small size, high-performance solutions that couple attitude [orientation] information with GPS-based position and velocity measurements," says NavtechGPS Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Franck Boynton.

"The VectorNav VN-200 GPS/INS is the first OEM surface mount we know of to address this need, and we are pleased to offer this miniature inertial navigation solution to our customers."

With nearly 30 years of experience in global positioning systems, geolocation technology and GPS/GNSS technical training, NavtechGPS represents more than 30 manufactures of GPS/GNSS related products. Through this partnership, VectorNav hopes to leverage NavtechGPS's extensive catalogue of customers in the military and industrial markets to integrate the VN-100 and VN-200 into new and expanding ranges of state-of-the-art applications.

"NavtechGPS is uniquely qualified to represent and market the VN-200 GPS/INS," says Jeff Cheek, VectorNav Technologies' Vice President of Business Development. "Their expertise and practical experience in GNSS technologies combined with our distinct inertial sensor products will provide innovative solutions and enable unprecedented applications for military and commercial customers."

The VN-200 is the follow-on product to the industry-leading VN-100 inertial measurement unit (IMU) and attitude heading reference system (AHRS), which was the first calibrated, industrial-grade IMU/AHRS in a surface mount package offered on the market.

Both the VN-200 and VN-100 can be used in a wide variety of industrial and military applications and are well suited for size, weight, power and cost (SWAP-C) constrained applications such as UAVs and other unmanned vehicle systems, camera/platform stabilization, guided munitions, heavy machinery monitoring, robotics, primary/secondary flight navigation, and flight simulation, among others.