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Naval Strike Missile Shoot: Pacific Griffin 2019
October 4, 2019

Precision GPS Missile Guidance Displayed in Pacific

For the first time, a sophisticated GPS-guided Naval Strike Missile fired from the deck of a U.S. combat ship sailing in the Indo-Pacific region.

The USS Gabrielle Giffords launched the precision strike weapon, which “can find and destroy enemy ships at distances up to 100 nautical miles away,” according to a U.S. Navy statement. The NSM flies at high subsonic speed an “at sea-skimming altitude, has terrain-following capability and uses an advanced seeker for precise targeting in challenging conditions.”

The NSM can navigate by GPS, inertial and terrain reference systems. It is able to fly over and around landmasses, travel in sea skim mode, and make random avoidance maneuvers in the terminal phase. An imaging infrared (IIR) seeker and an onboard target database give NSM independent detection, recognition, and discrimination capabilities for targets at sea or on the coast. Its design and materials endow it with stealth capabilities. It weighs slightly over 400 kg (880 pounds) and has a range of at least 185 km (100 nm).

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Known for its “sea-skimming” capability, the Naval Strike Missile can fly at very low altitudes over water and land. Photo: Kongsberg

The Navy Strike Missile launch was part of exercise Pacific Griffin, in the Philippine Sea near Guam, an exercise conducted with the Singaporean navy. It marked the second time such a missile was launched, but the first time it was fired in the Indo-Pacific region, according to the Navy.

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Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) launches a Naval Strike Missile (NSM) during exercise Pacific Griffin. The NSM is a long-range, precision strike weapon that is designed to find and destroy enemy ships. Pacific Griffin is a biennial exercise conducted in the waters near Guam aimed at enhancing combined proficiency at sea while strengthening relationships between the U.S. and Republic of Singapore navies. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon Renfroe/Released.

The Navy awarded Raytheon a contract in 2018 for the weapons system, developed around the missile designed by Norwegian firm Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.

By Inside GNSS
F-35 Landing Exp JPALS v2
September 19, 2019

Portable, Rapid-Install Precision Lander Enables Remote Operations

A portable differential GPS-based precision landing system that guides aircraft in to spot landings in all weather, challenging terrain and surfaces conditions proved itself in a rapid set-up demo before military officials of five countries recently. A Raytheon team set up the company’s Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (JPALS) in less than an hour on a small footprint and promptly brought in multiple F-35Cs, long-range stealth strike fighters, to the same designated runway landing point every time over the course of six different approaches.

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By Inside GNSS
GPS III SV02 Encapsulation
August 21, 2019

Second GPS III Space Vehicle ‘Magellan’ Launched Aug. 22

The second Lockheed Martin-built GPS III space vehicle (GPS III SV02)—also known as Magellan—was recently encapsulated within its protective fairings in preparation for Thursday’s scheduled launch. GPS III will launch tomorrow from Space Launch Complex-37 (SLC-37) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

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By Stan Goff
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Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center Awards Hosted Payload Solutions Contract to Maxar Technologies

The Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center recently awarded Maxar Technologies a firm fixed-price delivery order under the Hosted Payload Solutions Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration will fund the contract, which will commercially host NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution, or TEMPO instrument.

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By Inside GNSS
Lockheed Martin’s 2nd GPS III satellite encapsulated
July 8, 2019

Second Lockheed Martin-Built GPS III Satellite Ready for July 25 Liftoff

More powerful, accurate, resilient GPS III satellite will help modernize today’s GPS constellation 

TITUSVILLE, Florida, July 8, 2019 – The GPS satellite constellation is about to get its next heathy dose of new technology and more advanced capabilities. The second next-generation, Lockheed Martin-built GPS III satellite—nicknamed “Magellan” by the U.S. Air Force—is sealed up and ready for its planned July 25 launch.

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By Inside GNSS
Lockheed Martin GPS III (SV 01-10) Satellite
June 13, 2019

GPS III: The Next Big Step in GPS Modernization

[Editor’s Note: This article was written and submitted by Mark Crews and John Betz.]

With the launch of the first next-generation GPS III satellite, GPS III Space Vehicle 01 (GPS III SV01), on December 23, 2018, the Global Positioning System (GPS) took a major step in modernizing technology and capability. The U.S. Air Force has continually improved GPS since the launch of the first GPS Block I satellite in 1978, and this ongoing modernization has provided new signals, greater accuracy, and increased robustness for civil and military users. After the first 10 GPS III satellites are launched over the next few years, up to 22 GPS III Follow-on (GPS IIIF) satellites will provide yet another step increase in GPS capabilities.

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By Inside GNSS
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