GPS World

Tag: Air Force

  • U.S. Navy Conducts Anti-Jam Tests

    In July, the Communications and GPS Navigation Program Office mounted a Small Antenna System on an Aerostar unmanned aircraft, then placed the small UAV in a room lined with signal-absorbent material, where it was subjected to GPS jamming signals. Read more about the tests here.

     

  • Col. Bernie Gruber: Farewell Perspective on GPS Program

    This week’s Defense PNT newsletter by GPS World contributing editor Don Jewell carries an exit interview with Col. Bernard “Bernie” Gruber, who is leaving his post as director of the GPS Directorate after more than three and a half years in that position, and concluding his 26-year U.S. Air Force career. Look for the full interview later this week on the Defense PNT newsletter page. To receive subsequent issues of this monthly e-publication subscribe free here.

    Here is an advance look at the extensive interview with a few selected quotes from Col. Gruber:

    “We are working very hard to reduce our costs and invest in different opportunities that have a return on investment like dual launch [of GPS III] and NavSat, or I think it is NibbleSat, as you and Dr. Parkinson referred to it in your article from the National Space Symposium, which we look at  as an augmentation to GPS III. That is a good thing because it can significantly reduce total lifecycle costs of the program. So we continue to look at these, amongst other items, that we will prioritize and spend our development dollars on — items such as Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) batteries, smart solar arrays, that allow you to have more efficient use of power, more efficient power amplifiers, that are significantly shrunk down in size from what we have today. Bottom line is we will continue to work on processes that clearly show a positive value stream.”

    [ . . . . . ]

    “General Sheridan, as you very well know, the prior SMC Commander, had actually given me six goals when I got here. The first of those was fix the gap between OCX and GPS III. If you recall, we had about a 15-month gap in the delivery of those items. The second one was he asked me to transfer the AEP and LADO (launch, early orbit, anomaly and disposal operations) ground segment to our users [the 50th Space Wing] and get that capability to them as soon as we could, so that they could operate it and own it. The third one was fix the IIF production line. The fourth one was to get the MGUE, or military GPS user equipment, back on track and award contracts. The fifth one was build a relationship and continue that relationship with the 50th Space Wing. The last one that he actually gave me was to ready the first space vehicle for GPS III through the GNST, which of course is the GPS III Non-Flight Satellite Test Bed and an engineering, manufacturing and development pathfinder for the GPS III program, used to achieve modernization. And, Don, I am happy to say that we as a team have achieved every one of those goals.”

    [ . . . . . ]

    “I sincerely hope that the GPS III program will be a benchmark for future space acquisition programs, both in terms of the high standards that were set for mission assurance, and the level of communication between our program office and the contractor. The GPS III program is entering the very early stages of testing right now on the first flight vehicle, and I anticipate that we will begin to see the program move down that learning curve in very short order. You know with the 15-year design life, which we put in the contract, along with stringent parts requirements and our priority on systems engineering, I really do expect that the GPS III satellites will operate beyond the standards set by the current constellation. And I do have to say that what we call our “back to basics” approach, that other folks have written about, which includes those attributes of strong systems engineering discipline, detailed manufacturing systems readiness reviews, and strict adherence to standards, are actually now showing tangible and documented results. In some cases a 60-percent reduction in our cycle time and a 70-percent reduction in discrepancies for the next delivered items. I think that is huge.”

  • Air Force Video Explains GPS Role in Daily Life

    All of us in the GPS industry know someone who only thinks of GPS as a feature of their smartphone. You might direct them to a new YouTube video presented by the U.S. Air Force, which summarizes the worldwide role of GPS. It also touches on the GPS modernization program and new signals.

    The seven-minute video explains in simple terms how important GPS has become to everyday life — for aircraft and ship navigation, global financial transactions, precision agriculture, weather forecasting, disaster relief, and, of course, smartphones.

  • Boeing Completes 5th GPS IIF Satellite for U.S. Air Force


    GPS IIF pulse line Boeing is building 12 Air Force GPS IIF satellites on its innovative pulse line at the Satellite Development Center in El Segundo, CA. The pulse line enables simultaneous construction of multiple satellites, increasing savings, quality and efficiency. Photo credit: The Boeing Company

    The Boeing Company has completed the fifth of 12 Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF satellites the company is building for the U.S. Air Force. The spacecraft was built at the Satellite Development Center in El Segundo using the GPS IIF pulse-line manufacturing approach, which draws on commercial production line practices to build satellites faster and more efficiently.

    Of the five completed GPS IIF satellites, two are on orbit as part of the current 31-satellite constellation; both satellites are meeting mission requirements. Three satellites are in storage on standby for launch by the Air Force. The remaining seven are in various stages of pulse-line production and will likely be added to the constellation over the next three to five years as determined by the Air Force to ensure robust constellation availability.

    "Boeing, in close partnership with the U.S. Air Force, is focused on execution and mission assurance — we are committed to sustaining the GPS constellation with GPS IIF," said Craig Cooning, Boeing vice president and general manager of Space & Intelligence Systems. "The GPS IIF spacecraft feature more capability and improved mission performance for the warfighters and civilians who depend on this critical system."

    The next GPS IIF launch is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2012. The satellite will be launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

    GPS is a space-based, worldwide navigation system providing users with highly accurate, three-dimensional position, velocity and timing information 24 hours a day in all weather conditions. GPS IIF satellites provide enhanced capabilities, including a jam-resistant military signal, greater accuracy through improved atomic clock technology, and a protected, civilian L5 signal to aid commercial aviation and safety-of-life applications. Boeing also is the prime contractor for the GPS Operational Control Segment, which has supported an expanding set of GPS services and capabilities since 2007.

  • Lockheed Martin Completes Navigation Payload Milestone for GPS III Prototype

    The Lockheed Martin team developing the next generation Global Positioning System III satellites has completed a major integration and test event on the program’s satellite pathfinder, known as the GPS III Non-Flight Satellite Testbed (GNST). The milestone is a key indication that the GPS III team is on track to deliver the first satellite for launch availability in 2014.

    In Lockheed Martin’s new GPS Processing Facility (GPF), engineers successfully powered on the GNST with major elements of its navigation payload to include advanced atomic clocks for improved GPS accuracy, and the mission data unit, the heart of the GPS III navigation payload. The test was completed in advance of integrating the full navigation payload element, which is scheduled for delivery to the GPF this fall.

    The GPS III program will replace aging GPS satellites while improving capability to meet the evolving demands of military, commercial and civilian users worldwide. GPS III satellites are expected to deliver better accuracy and improved anti-jamming power, while enhancing the spacecraft’s design life and adding a new civil signal designed to be interoperable with international global navigation satellite systems.

    Incorporating lessons learned from previous GPS programs, the Air Force initiated a “back-to-basics” acquisition approach for GPS III. The strategy emphasizes early investments in rigorous systems engineering and industry-leading parts standards to significantly reduce risk, improve production predictability, increase mission assurance and lower overall program costs. These investments early in the GPS III program are designed to prevent the types of engineering issues discovered on other programs late in the manufacturing process or even on orbit.

    “The GNST is the cornerstone of the Air Force’s back-to-basics acquisition approach, and this milestone demonstrates that GPS III is on track and the acquisition strategy is working,” said Keoki Jackson, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Navigation Systems mission area. “The Air Force’s early investment in meticulous parts standards and rigorous systems engineering will significantly reduce per unit production costs and ensure mission success.”

    As production progresses on the first GPS III satellite, the team has already benefited from lessons learned on the GNST. Early efficiencies identified include:

    • 50-80 percent reductions in labor hours and defect rates between similar activities on the GNST and the first space vehicle.
    • Identification of tens of millions of dollars in cost savings for the production satellites based on process improvements recognized during GNST integration and test.

    “As we continue learning lessons on the GNST and move into full scale satellite production, we expect to continually streamline our processes and reduce per unit costs,” Jackson said.

    In 2008, Lockheed Martin was awarded the contract for the design, development, and production of the GPS III Non-Flight Satellite Testbed (GNST) and the first two GPS III satellites, with priced options for up to 10 additional satellites. In early 2012, the Air Force exercised a $238 million option for production of the next two satellites, GPS III space vehicles three and four. The Air Force plans to purchase up to 32 GPS III satellites.

    The GPS III team is led by the Global Positioning Systems Directorate at the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. Lockheed Martin is the GPS III prime contractor with teammates ITT Exelis, General Dynamics, Infinity Systems Engineering, Honeywell, ATK and other subcontractors. Air Force Space Command’s 2nd Space Operations Squadron (2SOPS), based at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo., manages and operates the GPS constellation for both civil and military users.