Autonomous Navigation for Hypersonic Aircraft Using Inertial Navigation Sensors Systems and Machine Learning

Sathvik Dasari

Abstract:	This paper presents a study on improving autonomous navigation for hypersonic aircraft through the integration of inertial navigation sensors and machine learning–based decision algorithms. The work focuses specifically on autonomous navigation accuracy, sensor data fusion, and real-time trajectory prediction under hypersonic flight conditions. The research is structured into four stages: component identification, CAD modeling, machine learning integration, and simulation-based evaluation. SolidWorks is used for CAD modeling, while a C++ OpenGL flight simulator is employed to analyze aerodynamic behavior and navigation performance. A multi-model machine learning framework is implemented using Random Forest classifiers and Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs). Random Forests are used to classify safe versus unsafe flight corridors based on real-time sensor inputs, while RNNs are applied to sequential trajectory prediction using inertial and positional data. The models are trained and evaluated using a combination of synthetic hypersonic flight data and modified NASA X-43 telemetry. Performance is evaluated using classification accuracy, inference latency, and robustness to sensor noise. The proposed system achieves an average classification accuracy of 94% on unseen data, with inference latency under 200 ms, enabling real-time decision-making. These results demonstrate that machine learning–based navigation can improve autonomous flight stability and adaptability at hypersonic speeds. This study contributes a focused evaluation of machine learning–driven navigation methods within a hypersonic flight context and provides a foundation for future work in autonomous hypersonic guidance systems.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 57th Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting January 26 - 29, 2026 Hyatt Regency Orange County Anaheim, California
Pages:	90 - 103
Cite this article:	Dasari, Sathvik, "Autonomous Navigation for Hypersonic Aircraft Using Inertial Navigation Sensors Systems and Machine Learning," Proceedings of the 57th Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting, Anaheim, California, January 2026, pp. 90-103. https://doi.org/10.33012/2026.20487
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