INAV can use various sensors to fly drones and airplanes: gyroscopes, accelerometer, magnetometers, barometers, GPS, OpFlow, rangefinders, and airspeed. Some of them required some are recommended and some are a purely optional piece of hardware.

Here is the full list:

INAV Sensors:

Gyroscope and accelerometer

Required. The flight controller will not boot without a gyroscope and accelerometer. They are usually 2-in-1 devices (MPU6000, MPU6500, etc) that contain gyroscope and accelerometer in one package.

  • Multirotors drones: required
  • Fixed-wing airplanes: required
  • Other (boats, revers): required

Magnetometer aka Compass

For INAV, a magnetometer is an optional sensor. Airplanes does not need it at all, and multirotor drones need it only to be able to execute navigation modes: PosHold, Return To Home and all similar.

  • Multirotor drones: required for navigation modes: waypoints, position hold and return to home
  • Fixed-wing airplanes: not recommended
  • Other (boats, rovers): required for navigation modes*: waypoints, position hold and return to home

Barometer

Just like a magnetometer, a barometer is an optional sensor and is required only on multirotors for navigation modes.

  • Multirotor drones: required for navigation modes: waypoints, altitude hold and return to home
  • Fixed-wing airplanes: recommended not required for navigation modes: waypoints, altitude hold and return to home.
  • Other (boats, rovers): not used

GPS

Optional. On all platforms, required only for navigation modes: position hold, waypoints and return to home.

  • Multirotor drones: required for navigation modes: waypoints, position hold and return to home
  • Fixed-wing airplanes: required for navigation modes: waypoints, position hold and return to home
  • Other (boats, rovers): required for navigation modes: waypoints and return to home

OpFlow sensor

Optional, used only on multirotor drones for indoor position hold when GPS sensor might not get a fix.

  • Multirotor drones: optional
  • Fixed-wing airplanes: not used
  • Other (boats, rovers): not used

Rangefinder

Optional for all platforms. Usage is mostly experimental.

Airspeed sensor

Optional. Used only on fixed-wing airplanes for informational purposes.

  • Multirotor drones: not used
  • Fixed-wing airplanes: optional
  • Other (boats, rovers): not used