America’s Cup Challenger Land Rover BAR selects iXBlue as a Technical Supplier
The British Team selects iXBlue navigation system, high-performance heading and attitude sensor, for competitive edge during the next America’s cup.
Marly-le-roi, France, July 23rd, 2015, iXBlue, a global leader in navigation, positioning, and imaging solutions, is providing high performance heading and attitude sensors to Land Rover BAR to help the British team bring the America’s Cup home to where it all began on the Solent in 1851.
The America’s Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport, it is sailing’s greatest competitive prize and winning it means winning the commercial rights to the next regatta – and that can be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. It’s an environment where failure can be very expensive.
The America’s cup also presents serious challenges to mission critical high-technology electronics. A foil-borne craft driven by a solid wingsail at speeds of up to 80 km/h, a moving ball of spray with water at fire-hose velocities.
Where better for iXBlue to demonstrate their technology and its unsurpassed reliability?
The iXBlue navigation system will monitor the relative orientations and motions of Land Rover BAR’s wing-sailed foiling catamarans. The equipment had to be the highest specification, smallest size and lightest available - and above all, it had to be reliable. The iXBlue INS solution was deemed perfect for this challenge.
The modern America’s Cup will be won and lost by maintaining the foiling multihull craft in continuous stable ‘flight’ – and that relies on the high-technology instrument and sensor packages installed. If the Land Rover BAR craft crashes back down into the water, the opposition will fly right by.
The equipment will also play a fundamental role in the development and optimization of performance, allowing the team to test and evaluate ideas to optimize the design of these revolutionary craft. Having an identical high performance instrument set on each boat removes uncertainties in comparing performance.
Land Rover BAR will install one Inertial Navigation System in the wingsail to monitor the wing’s orientation relative to the wind direction and the hulls below. A second unit will be installed in the hull platform to monitor the heading and attitude of the platform relative to the hydrofoils and the wing.
Luc du Bois (from Land Rover BAR’s Analysis and Simulation Team) commented, “These sail boats are extremely sensitive to every little change in conditions, and thanks to this complex installation, a precise
reading of the boat’s attitude and performance will be possible, allowing greater optimization of the solid wing sails and performance in ‘flight’.”
David Cunningham, iXBlue Regional Sales Manager commented, “Land Rover BAR is working really hard on getting the right data, the right instruments and sensors to win the America’s Cup, and iXBlue is proud to participate in this great and exciting journey.”
About iXBlue
iXBlue is a leading international supplier of innovative products and solutions for navigation, positioning and imaging. iXBlue civil and military customers have widely deployed systems, operations, and services in complex sea, land, air, and space environments. iXBlue is a major player in offshore oil and gas, a world leader in sea navigation systems, and expert in ocean science and mapping. iXBlue’s technologies include photonics, inertial sensors, acoustics, imaging, control, and simulation. iXBlue is recognized for its pioneering inventions in fiber-optic gyroscopes and its full range of other cutting-edge technologies, providing high accuracy, unrivalled performance, and unsurpassed reliability.
iXBlue also differentiates itself through full vertical integration and expertise, easy-to-use versatile products, professional services, customer care, and long-term partnerships. iXBlue serves its customers through sales and support offices around the world, offering 24/7 assistance.
About Land Rover BAR
Sarah Alexander, Land Rover BAR Press Officer
e. Sarah.alexander@landroverbar.com t. +44 7766 391 276 / +44 1489 587 838
Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) was launched on June 10th 2014 in the presence of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge. The team was conceived by four times Olympic gold medalist and 34th America's Cup winner, Sir Ben Ainslie, with the long-term aim of challenging for Britain and bringing the America's Cup back home to where it all began in 1851. Ben has developed and will lead a British entry capable of winning the prestigious trophy, something Britain has so far never managed to achieve.
Land Rover BAR is a commercial sporting team, with a number of individual private investors alongside corporate partners. The team is made up of some of the best British and international sailors, designers, builders and racing support.
The team have built a new headquarters in the centre of Portsmouth, the 74,000 sq ft. building houses all the team's activities, and will welcome the public into a Visitor Centre hosted by the 1851 Trust. The Trust is the team's official charity, and HRH The Duchess of Cambridge is its Royal Patron. Portsmouth will also host two Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series events during the summers of 2015 and 2016, the first will be on the weekend of 23rd-26th July. Up to 500,000 visitors are expected to come and watch the racing, enjoy the festivities, and cheer for the home team. LandRoverBAR.com #BringTheCupHome
