Measuring Aircraft Carrier Flexure in Support of Autonomous Aircraft Landings

This paper quantifies the experimental measurements of aircraft carrier flexure (deformation) at sea in support of the United States Department of Defense sea-based Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (JPALS) that aims to deliver automatic landing capabilities to inbound aircraft aboard aircraft carriers. The methodology for measuring ship flexure using the Global Positioning System (GPS) and inertial sensors is described. Results indicate that flexure on the aircraft carrier used for testing has a standard deviation of approximately 1-2 cm. For the ship tested, the most significant flexure effects are in the port/starboard direction and correlate best with roll or lateral acceleration.