The airborne gravimeter CHEKAN-A at the institute of Flight Guidance (IFF)

Abstract

The Institute of Flight Guidance (IFF) of the Technical University of Braunschweig (TU BS) is involved in the development of airborne gravimetry since 1985. Fundamental examinations of airborne gravimeters were carried out between 1991 and 1993. In 1998 a high-precision two-frame inertial platform and a gravimeter sensor were purchased and modified for airborne application in cooperation with the Russian manufacturer ELEKTROPRIBOR. Successful flight tests have been executed in the recent years. So far the resolution achieved is 2 km with a standard deviation of 3 mGal. The two-frame inertial platform was extended to a three-frame INS by mounting a ring laser gyro on top of the platform. The gyro provides an additional degree of freedom (yaw) around the vertical axis. Since 2001 the IFF is involved in a project fiinded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The goal of the project is to develop an airborne gravimetry system with a resolution of 1 mGal.