Aircraft can navigate thousands of miles by matching live camera feeds to digital maps
By comparing live camera feeds to pre-loaded elevation maps, modern aircraft can navigate across continents with incredible precision, even when GPS signals are completely unavailable or blocked.
Terrain-referenced navigation allows aircraft to find their way by matching live imagery against digital elevation models. Using edge-detection algorithms, the system identifies ridges and landmarks to achieve an accuracy of less than five meters over flights spanning thousands of miles.
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