Tornado Terrain-Referenced Navigation (TRN) Unit

Technical Information

Catalogue No:	C0857
Category:	Navigation/Inertial
Object Type:	Signal/Data Processor
Object Name:	Tornado Terrain-Referenced Navigation (TRN) Unit
Part No:	53-013-01
Serial No:	016
Manufacturer:	GEC Avionics
Division:	Combat Aircraft Controls [CACD]
Platform(s):	Tornado
Year of Manufacture:	Unknown
Dimensions:	Width (mm): 190 Height (mm): 193 Depth (mm): 372 Weight (g): 13,100
Location:	Rack RAA08 [Main Store]

Inscription(s):

GEC Avionics Limited
TRN Unit
Part 53-013-01
Ser 016
NSN
Code K0656
------------------------------
MRB 230/4972
MRB 230/4973

Notes:

The SPARTAN system is housed in a ¾ ATR short LRU and contains a digital terrain database in excess of 600,000 square kilometres. High MTBF in excess of 3000 hours Low power consumption -less than 100 watts.

SPARTAN TRN

SPARTAN is a highly accurate, flight proven automatic navigation and terrain following system to enable low level covert operations. The system reduces cockpit workload and greatly improves mission effectiveness.
Under development for over a decade and extensively flight trialled on a variety of low level aircraft, including Tornado, A6E Intruder and F16 AFTI, SPARTAN was selected by the Ministry of Defence (UK) for the RAF's Tornado mid-life update.
The elevation profile of the terrain overflown is measured by a series of covert radar altimeter samples. This profile is compared with an on- board digital terrain database to provide rapid and continuous position fixes Once an accurate navigational position has been achieved,
SPARTAN 'looks ahead' in the database and calculates a mission optimised terrain
following flight path, which can be followed either manually, using the pilot's flight director, or automatically via the aircraft autopilot