military

Ivanov GLONASS Flap Obscures Program Reality
February 9, 2008

Ivanov GLONASS Flap Obscures Program Reality

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Ivanov’s criticism of Roscosmos and GLONASS continues to ripple in news columns around the world.
Widely reported in Russian media and picked up and amplified in derivative reports, Ivanov’s complaints focused on GLONASS’s relative inaccuracy, limited coverage, and lack of user equipment.

However, aside from the fact that the person making the remarks was Ivanov — a powerful figure once thought to be in line to succeed Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, none of this is really news. Rather, it seems like another example of the phenomenon that, when people learn of something for the first time, they assume it has just happened.

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By Glen Gibbons
AFIT Releases GPS System Engineering Case Study
January 17, 2008

AFIT Releases GPS System Engineering Case Study

The GPS constellation, as illustrated 30 years ago.

While awaiting the arrival of the definitive history of the Global Positioning System, students of the premier GNSS program might want to take a look at a systems engineering case study released last month by the Center for Systems Engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.

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By Glen Gibbons
Raytheon Paveway Sales at Record Pace
January 16, 2008

Raytheon Paveway Sales at Record Pace

Enhanced Paveway II

Raytheon Company received more than $150 million worth of contracts in December for its Paveway family of precision-guided munitions. The latest figures bring the total Paveway year-to-date bookings for 2007 to more than $300 million, a record for Raytheon’s Paveway program.

The contracts are a combination of direct commercial sales and foreign military sales and will provide customers in Europe and Asia with the Enhanced Paveway II (EP2) and the EP3 variants of the Paveway weapon system, which upgrade "dumb bombs" into precision-guided munitions.

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By Glen Gibbons
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UAS MCM photo low-res.jpg
January 3, 2008

DoD Issues ‘Roadmap’ for Unmanned Systems

A 25-year (2007-2032) U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) roadmap for unmanned systems reflects the critical contribution of GPS technology in a growth area for tactical military systems that are simultaneously seeking a compatible place in civil applications and the national air space.

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By Glen Gibbons
GPS Wing Exercises MUE Contract Options
December 19, 2007

GPS Wing Exercises MUE Contract Options

The U.S. Air Force has exercised new options on contracts with three companies for development of GPS Modernized User Equipment (MUE) for future military applications.

Under the new awards, Raytheon will receive $65 million; Rockwell Collins, $50.7 million; and L-3/Interstate Electronics Corporation, $36 million. All options were awarded on or about October 19.

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By Glen Gibbons
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Urban Challenge: GPS/Inertial Systems Help Win DARPA Race
November 26, 2007

Urban Challenge: GPS/Inertial Systems Help Win DARPA Race

“Boss,” Carnegie Mellon University’s entry in the DARPA Urban Challenge, crosses the finish line to win the race — and $2 million prize

Carnegie Mellon University and Stanford University reversed the order of their finishes in the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge, snaring first and second place, respectively, in the Urban Challenge finals held November 3 in Victorville, California.

Both entries incorporated POS LV (Position and Orientation Systems for Land Vehicles) integrated GPS/inertial systems from Applanix Corporation, of Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada.

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By Glen Gibbons
SMC’s Hamel Receives AFA Award

SMC’s Hamel Receives AFA Award

Lt. Gen. Michael Hamel

Lt. Gen. Michael Hamel, Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) commander, has received the Air Force Association’s 2007 Gen. Thomas D. White USAF Space Trophy. The award recognizes outstanding contribution to the nation’s progress in aerospace.

Under General Hamel’s leadership, SMC has had 54 successful space launches in a row, a feat unparalleled in military space history, according to SMC. He serves not only as the center’s commander but also as the Air Force

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By Glen Gibbons
Successful GPS Block IIR-M Spacecraft Launch
October 15, 2007

Successful GPS Block IIR-M Spacecraft Launch

Launch of GPS Block IIR-M satellite, October 17, 2007

A Block IIR-M GPS satellite was launched successfully today (October 17, 2007) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Expected to be set healthy for use in early November 2007, the spacecraft will be designated as PRN15/SVN55, referring to its pseudorandom noise code and space vehicle number, respectively.

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By Glen Gibbons
USAF evolves GPS architecture with $800 million upgrade to ground control segment
September 15, 2007

USAF evolves GPS architecture with $800 million upgrade to ground control segment

On September 14, Air Force crews at Schriever AFB, Colorado, completed the initial phase of an $800 million upgrade to the GPS operational control segment.

Operators in the 2nd Space Operations Squadron (2SOPS) of the USAF 50th Space Wing migrated control of the GPS satellite constellation and ground monitoring facilities from a 1970s-era mainframe computer to a distributed IT infrastructure with advanced automated features. The 50th Space Wing, through the 2nd SOPS, performs the satellite command and control mission for the Global Positioning System.

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