The U.S. Space and Missile Systems Center awarded the Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE) Increment (Inc) 2 Miniature Serial Interface (MSI) with Next-Generation Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) to Rockwell Collins, Inc.; L3 Technologies; and Raytheon Technologies. The three MSI contracts to design and build miniature serial interface receivers for MGUE are collected valued at $552 million, and will be carried out as rapid prototyping efforts. The first delivery is scheduled for early fiscal year 2026.
The Collins Aerospace Military GPS business was acquired by BAE Systems from Raytheon Technologies Corporation in July 2020, and is now called Navigation & Sensor Systems.
Enhanced processing and security features associated with M-Code drove the decision to develop a smaller and more powerful receiver card for handheld and dismounted applications. The MSI with Next-Generation ASIC will enable Military-Code GPS receiver production, mitigating the obsolescence issue of current ASICs and providing significant security and performance improvements for GPS-enabled weapons systems. MGUE Inc 2 will be compatible with all existing and future spacecraft and ground systems.
MGUE Inc 2 enables military GPS user equipment to receive allied GNSS positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) signals to increase both the resilience and capability of military PNT equipment, and deter attacks on GPS. These signals will supplement GPS-based PNT in accordance with Department of Defense policies regarding usage of allied GNSS signals, ensuring identification and mitigation of cyber risks, and compatibility with existing PNT equipment.
[Photo by Army Sgt. Ryan Hallock, courtesy U.S. Army. Army Spc. Carl Arenberg, a horizontal construction engineer, prepares his defense advanced GPS receiver for the night orienteering course.]
