Effect of the Main Rotor and Other Helicopter Design Features on the Performance of Satellite Radionavigation System User Equipment Mounted on the Craft

We analysed how signal diffraction caused by the main rotor, signal reflection from helicopter components, and receiver antenna shielding by the main rotor blades affect the signal-to-noise ratio in the correlator band of satellite radionavigation system user equipment for GLONASS and GPS, its navigation precision and error probability when transmitting overhead information from navigation spacecraft to the helicopter. The investigation showed that the effect of helicopter design on the performance of user equipment mounted on it manifests as antenna shielding and diffraction waves appearing at the edges. The presence of diffraction waves and reduction in the original signal amplitude as a result of shielding the user equipment antenna leads to the Bit Error Rate in the overhead information transmission channel increasing by one or two orders of magnitude. Effect on navigation accuracy is negligible

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