Project Manager Positioning, Navigation and Timing’s Mounted PNT product office has received full-rate production approval for the Mounted Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing System Generation II (MAPS Gen II), a key Army modernization initiative, from the Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors. This approval allows the Mounted PNT office, in collaboration with Collins Aerospace, to begin full-rate production and fielding of MAPS Gen II as it moves toward initial operating capability.
MAPS Gen II provides GPS anti-spoofing and anti-jamming capabilities through sensor fusion algorithms and non-radio frequency sensors. These features enable mounted soldiers to operate in environments where military GPS is denied or degraded. The system supports U.S. Army forces by allowing them to move, shoot and communicate effectively while distributing PNT data to multiple users on a single platform. This is designed to eliminate redundant GPS receivers and antennas.
The system includes anti-jamming and anti-spoofing protection, a sensor fusion processor that integrates multiple PNT sources, and open architectures such as APSN and VICTORY. It outputs PNT data through multiple distribution standards, ensuring compatibility across platforms.
The United States Army has awarded Collins Aerospace a Phase III contract to build the second generation of its Mounted Assured Position Navigation and Timing System (MAPS).
The MAPS program adds anti-jamming capability for soldiers in GPS-contested environments. In 2019, MAPS Gen I units were installed on Stryker vehicles of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Germany.
Phase 3 of the MAPS Gen II program “begins combat platform integration in preparation for low-rate initial production,” according to an Oct. 7 Army press release.
MAPS Gen II includes M-code GPS receivers, provided by BAE Systems, along with anti-jamming antennas, sensor fusion and inertial measurement units to deliver assured PNT to soldiers.
MAPS Gen II is part of the Army’s goal to accelerate the development and fielding of modernized soldier capabilities.
“Less than a year after we equipped the first generation of MAPS in Europe we’re already pushing forward with the development of Gen II,” said Willie Nelson, director of the the Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing (APNT) Cross-Functional Team (CFT). “This award comes less than a month after our Mounted APNT requirement was approved. The timing could not be better.”
MAPS Gen I includes A and B kits, consisting of cable and mounts to use on a vehicle and a military GPS paired with non-radio frequency technologies.
The Phase III Other Transaction Authority contract covers product maturation and begins combat platform integration, clearing the path to low rate initial production.
Army Stryker ground combat vehicle. (Photo: Karolis Kavolelis / Shutterstock.com)
The MAPS GEN II is comprised of the NavHub-100 PNT Distribution Device, the Multi-Sensor Antenna System (MSAS-100) and an optional speed sensor. The NavHub-100 works in concert with the MSAS-100 to produce a trusted A-PNT solution that can be distributed through serial interface, Victory Ethernet and RF distribution to multiple client systems.
MAPS GEN II supports the U.S. Army PNT Reference Architecture by leveraging modular technologies from across Collins’ A-PNT portfolio and industry. This scalable architecture builds upon the modular open system architecture (MOSA) standards and includes the All Source Positioning and Navigation (ASPN) generic message definition to support plug-and-play sensor integration and the Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE) to host portable software capabilities.
The MAPS GEN II system not only supports direct replacement of the Defense Advanced GPS Receiver (DAGR) on military platforms, it also provides exceptional A-PNT performance in GPS-contested and GPS-denied environments.
