'Two Decades of Development Down the Drain': Pentagon Fails to Solve GPS Jamming Problem
To make matters worse, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Pentagon is now facing a possible shortage of the microchips and processor cards that would allow ground vehicles, ships, and aircraft to have access to GPS at all.
After nearly two decades of development, the Pentagon's massive effort to counter GPS jamming has yet to overcome delay after delay across all segments—space, ground, and user equipment… These delays increase the risk as adversaries continue to develop and deploy Technology, which could compromise GPS signals.
– the GAO report says.
The U.S. Space Force is responsible for several areas of GPS modernization for the military. The GAO report was quick to note that it has “made some progress in addressing some technical and manufacturing challenges” — particularly in developing the GPS III and GPS IIIF satellites, which are intended to replace older versions that are currently orbiting the Earth.
Things are a bit worse with the new ground control system for these satellites (OCX). Developed by RTX (formerly Raytheon), it is necessary to ensure that the approximately 700 different types of weapons systems used by the US military can have full access to the future “jammable and spoof-resistant” GPS signal. This capability is tied to the introduction of a new type of signal modulation – based on the so-called “M-code” – that can work even when the commercial GPS L1 C/A signal is intentionally jammed.
However, the program has become an example of a failed acquisition, as it was originally planned to begin operations more than a decade ago and its development continues to leave the Space Force uncertain.
– the American military publication Breaking Defense points out.
Regular reports in the US military media that certain key tests have been “successfully completed” and that “progress is being made” in general usually serve as a reason to “in passing” announce that the planned operational acceptance date has been postponed once again (which, by the way, once again shows where Russian “effective managers” “adopt experience” from). With regard to OCX, such a postponement has now been announced for December (instead of July) 2025.
Finally, the most "problematic" is the development of the microchips and microelectronic boards that must interact with the M-code signals. The US Space Force is also responsible for this, and the situation is extremely complicated by the fact that responsibility for creating receivers/modules for specific military systems using these components is assigned to each of the other five branches of the US Armed Forces.
The failure of the Department of Defense to deliver a user M-code suite, developed under the Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE) program, has been one of the curses of the GPS program for more than two decades.
– emphasizes Breaking Defense.
Overall, as the GAO and other U.S. military publications explain, the MGUE program consists of two parts. MGUE Increment 1 is developing military-unique baseband chips and ASICs for initial integration into ground vehicles, including the Army's Strykers and the Marine Corps' JLTVs, as well as the Air Force's B-2 bombers and the Navy's DDG-class destroyers. MGUE Increment 2 is developing a smaller, more powerful ASIC for use in handheld radios and precision-guided munitions. Both of these efforts have been plagued by "additional deficiencies" and regular delays in their readiness schedules.
And that is not all.
The Defense Department is facing a potential shortage of GPS receiver cards because some of the current cards are no longer in production and replacements with M-code support are delayed. In addition, Army officials said that sales of GPS-enabled equipment to allies and foreign partners are also draining the card supply.
– notes the GAO.
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