Thales announces new low-SWaP next-gen IMU for resilient navigation

Thales has developed a new-generation inertial measurement unit (IMU) with same level of performance as the company’s best-in-class TopAxyz IMU but with a smaller size, weight and power (SWaP) footprint, the company announced on 7 April 2025.

The new solution “is the result of extensive investment not only in research and development, but also in advanced production facilities, with state-of-the-art technology and expertise in inertial navigation”, the company stated.

While the new IMU is based on Thales’ proven TopAxyz IMU technology, thanks to the use of micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) accelerometers instead of mechanical ones it is 20% smaller, 10% lighter and less power-consuming than previous IMUs. The new system incorporates a three-axis ring laser gyrometer (RLG) and three digital MEMS accelerometers in a single, low SWaP unit.

IMU-based navigation systems can be used in a wide range of military and civil platforms, including aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, land vehicles, weapons, launchers and naval systems. They are particularly relevant when navigation is affected by hostile GPS jamming and spoofing operations, which have become increasingly common in conflict zones such as Ukraine.

Compared to Thales’ previous TopAxyz IMUs, the new IMU “maintains the same level of high performance, delivering precise localization, navigation, attitude and heading information, but also offers enhanced resilience in harsh environments such as strong acceleration, vibration, electromagnetic fields and hypervelocity”, Thales stated.

The new IMU is manufactured at Thales’s Valence and Châtellerault sites in France, which the company says provide a sustainable industrial foundation for meeting the long-term demands of both commercial and military markets. Thales says the MEMS technology facilitates faster serial production, allowing for a rapid increase in production rates. A tripling of capacity is currently underway at the Thales site in Châtellerault.

Thales added that first customer deliveries of the new IMU are expected early in the second half of 2026.