The company said the contract supports continued modernization of the GPS constellation as legacy spacecraft move beyond their intended design lives. The 14 planned GPS IIIF satellites are intended to provide advanced positioning, navigation and timing capabilities for military and civilian users.
The GPS IIIF satellites will include Regional Military Protection capability. Lockheed Martin said this provides a 63-fold increase in anti-jam capability, allowing warfighters to access stronger GPS signals in contested environments.
The satellites will also add more M-Code-enabled spacecraft to support secure GPS connectivity for warfighters. A digital navigation payload is intended to increase the accuracy and reliability of the IIIF spacecraft.
“Modernizing the constellation with highly resilient, next-generation space vehicles ensures warfighters have access to the GPS capabilities they require for their missions,” said Christina Mancinelli, vice president of global communications and navigation at Lockheed Martin. “We continue to invest in advanced technology, facilities and the people who are the driving force in the production of this spacecraft that help our military secure peace.”
Lockheed Martin said all GPS III satellites built by the company reached orbit earlier this year. GPS III SV09 and SV10 launched on accelerated timelines, adding resilience to the constellation.
The GPS constellation provides positioning, navigation and timing capabilities to warfighter platforms made by Lockheed Martin. The company said the F-35 uses GPS to determine its location, synchronize systems and share real-time position data with other assets.
Lockheed Martin said those capabilities support autonomous navigation and precision strike functions. It also said the UH-60 Black Hawk uses GPS for accurate navigation, deconfliction with ground and air forces, and precise delivery of cargo or weapons.
For civilian users, the GPS constellation supports banking transactions, telecommunications networks, emergency response services and everyday navigation. Lockheed Martin said the new GPS IIIF satellites will broadcast all civil signals, including interoperable L1C and L5, with greater accuracy and reliability.
The GPS IIIF satellites are designed for resilience. Starting with SV13, the spacecraft are built on the evolved LM2100 Combat Bus.
Lockheed Martin said the LM2100 Combat Bus provides increased cyber-hardening and improved spacecraft power, propulsion and electronics. It is also designed with additional size, weight and power capacity to support future capability insertions.
The company has completed the core mate milestone for three GPS IIIF satellites. Lockheed Martin described the milestone as the official “birth” of a satellite.
All other IIIF satellites are in different phases of production. Lockheed Martin also recently received a $105 million contract to continue modernization of the GPS ground segment.
The company said the contracts reaffirm its long-term commitment to a resilient, high-performance GPS constellation supporting billions of users worldwide. Lockheed Martin is continuing GPS IIIF production at its facilities in the Denver area.
Lockheed Martin said it is using emerging technologies including augmented reality and digital twins to accelerate production rates. The company said these tools are intended to help deliver capabilities to warfighters quickly.
