What is the purpose of the Inertial Navigation System (INS)?

• A. Self-contained, fully automated dead reckoning navigation system.
• B. Fully manual navigation system requiring ground support.
• C. Provides navigation using GPS data.
• D. Only records flight data for post-mission analysis.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that the Inertial Navigation System is a self-contained, fully automated dead reckoning navigation system. It uses on-board sensors—accelerometers and gyroscopes—to measure movement and rotation, then continuously integrates those measurements to determine current position, velocity, and orientation without relying on external signals. Because it operates autonomously, it provides real-time navigation even when GPS is unavailable or degraded and doesn't require ground support. It’s more than a data recorder or a GPS-based solution; its purpose is to keep a continuous, internal sense of where the aircraft is and how it’s moving.