Raytheon has won a $886m contract from the US Air Force to develop a new element of the global positioning system to improve the accuracy of information from GPS satellites.
Raytheon said that the contract represents first two development blocks of the advanced control segment (OCX), which will have a significant impact on GPS capabilities. The OCX will include anti-jam capabilities and improved security, accuracy and reliability and will be based on a modern service-oriented architecture to integrate government and industry open-system standards.
The OCX will affect GPS command, control and mission capabilities and allows operations team to run the current GPS block II and all future GPS satellites. The GPS, a satellite-based radio navigation system for the military and the public, comprises three major segments including, the user segment, the space segment and the control segment, which includes a master control station and ground antennas.
According to Raytheon, the teammates for the program include The Boeing Company, ITT, Braxton Technologies, Infinity Systems Engineering and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Bob Canty, GPS vice president and program manager for Raytheon, said: “Raytheon is proud to deliver innovative technologies to help the Air Force meet its mission of protecting GPS operational services.
“The advanced control segment is a critical program for our nation’s combat forces, coalition partners, as well as domestic and international civil users. By selecting Raytheon, the Air Force recognizes our experience and commitment to take GPS to the next level.”
