LOS ANGELES AFB, Calif. – U.S. Space Force navigation and guidance experts are asking BAE Systems to continue building enabling technologies for M-Code-capable secure handheld and vehicle-mount GPS receivers.
Officials of the Space Force Systems Command at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., announced a $79.3 million order last week to the BAE Systems Electronic Systems segment in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the Military GPS User Equipment Increment 2 (MGUE Inc 2) project.
MGUE Inc 2 seeks to improve the security, resilience, and performance of military GPS receivers by adding advanced M-Code capability, better jam resistance, support for allied Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals, and miniaturized, low-power designs.
Security-certified M-Code
The project is delivering advanced security-certified M-Code technology, which provides assured position, navigation, and timing (PNT) even in environments with GPS jamming and spoofing threats.
Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers will be able to use signals from allied PNT systems together with the U.S. GPS to increase resilience and enable continued operations during GPS-denial types of attacks.
The project's miniature serial interface (MSI) design and next-generation application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) technology helps mitigate hardware obsolescence, enhance security, and reduce power consumption for integration onto small systems like guided munitions, handheld devices, and other battery-powered systems.
Miniature receivers
Miniaturized receiver units and production ASICs are a core deliverable, with the first operational MSI receivers anticipated for early fiscal year 2026 and handheld prototype units planned for fiscal year 2027.
MGUE Inc 2 receivers will provide warfighters with secure navigation amid electronic warfare (EW) jamming and spoofing to enable warfighters and systems to operate even when GPS signals are under attack. The system is designed for backward- and forward-compatibility with existing and future ground and space systems.
On this order, BAE Systems will do the work in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and should be finished by October 2026. For more information contact BAE Systems Electronic Systems online at www.baesystems.com/en-us/who-we-are/electronic-systems, or Space Force Systems Command at www.ssc.spaceforce.mil/Newsroom/Article/4273965/ssc-demo-exercise-tests-next-gen-gps-receiver-to-gather-feedback-from-joint-war.
