PLGR & DAGR
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Out in the field, one of the most important questions is also one of the simplest: where am I?

Map-reading and orienteering remain critical soldiering skills, but the explosive growth of the GPS receiver market offers modern-day soldiers – and their opponents – new options. GPS has a military channel as well, of course, offering greater precision. These military-grade GPS receivers are becoming common among American units and their allies, often operating alongside civilian units from firms like Garmin that can include in-country roadmaps for front-line zones. Then again, you probably wouldn’t want to offer nearby airstrike coordinates based on a civilian unit if there was any choice in the matter.

Defense Advanced GPS Receivers (DAGRs) will serve as a smaller, lighter, replacement for the Precision Lightweight GPS Receiver (PLGR). Their electronics can be integrated into tanks, UAV drones, et. al., or serve as standalone handheld systems for both advanced and basic military GPS users. Authorized Department of Defense (DoD) and foreign military sales (FMS) customers receive a hand-held Precise Positioning System (PPS) with a dual-frequency (L1/L2) receiver that weighs less than a pound, and incorporates the nest generation, tamper-resistant GPS “SAASM” (Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module) anti-jamming and security module.

This will be DID’s FOCUS Article for DAGR procurement, which is international in scope…

• The Defense Advanced GPS Receiver
• DAGR: Contracts & Key Events [updates]
• Additional Readings & Sources
  
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Galileo concept
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Large space projects with long lead times can be politically perilous. The USA’s Transformation Satellite Network (TSAT) aims to create a system that can deliver fiber cable class bandwidth to or from any point on the globe, using lasers as the space transmission backbone. Funding and technical progress issues have pushed the project back from its originally intended date of 2008-2009 to likely operation in 2014 or so – and doubts are emerging re: the entire $20+ billion project.

Across the Atlantic, the European Union is cooperating with China and other outside investors to replace the USA’s free Global Positioning System service with an alternative under their own control. Organizational issues and shortfalls in expected progress have pushed the “Galileo” project back from its originally intended operational date of 2008 to 2014 or so – and doubts have manifested in Europe re: the entire project, even as security issues around Chinese involvement and their forthcoming COMPASS satellite system persist.

The EU has decided to press on, however, and has gained initial-stage approval for its plan to finance the program with tax dollars instead of the expected private investments. Mindful of the pitfalls in this approach, however, they have decided to raid other EU accounts for over EUR 3 billion (about $5.35 billion) in funds, rather than asking for more money from member states. This has not gone over well in all quarters. Britain’s multi-party Parliamentary Transport committee, for example, released a stinging report that recommended scrapping Galileo unless key deliverables are met. The EU’s structure allowed it to brush those objections aside, however, and the organization is well on the way to approving the new arrangements and beginning to issue contracts. Meanwhile, key technical protocols are released for discussion, a second satellite is planned for launch in April 2008, and an influential American think-tank raises security and policy concerns that could have broad impacts on transatlantic defense industry relationships.

• What Is Galileo?
• “Eppur, Si Bloccare”: Trials & Tribulations
• Contracts and Key Events
• Appendix A: The EU Proposal – Going Forward ( ? )
• Appendix B: Additional Readings
• Appendix C: Additional Readings – The Security Dimension
  
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DAGR GPS

Rockwell Collins Inc. Government Systems in Cedar Rapids, IA received an $82.7 million firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed fee contract modification, exercising production options for the purchase of 37,787 defense advanced GPS receivers (DAGRs) and accessories. The DAGR provides GPS services in a hand-held, dual-frequency (L1/L2), lightweight receiver weighing less than one pound. Key features include a precise positioning system (PPS), as well as next generation tamper-resistant GPS via the selective availability anti-spoofing module (SASSM) security module. The DAGR replaces the Precision Lightweight GPS Receiver (PLGR) in integrated platforms as well as for the advanced and basic GPS user. Based on publicized contracts to date and Rockwell Collins figures, DID estimates that the USA and various allies around the world have issued almost $300 million worth of DAGR contracts to date, and ordered almost 125,000 systems.

Work will be complete October 2008. The Headquarters Global Positioning Systems Wing at Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA issued the contract (F04701-02-C-0011/P00050).

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GPS III concept
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Headquarters Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA has awarded a pair of cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modifications. They wish to perform a delta (changes to) system requirements review (SRR) on the global positioning system III program in October 2006. This is said to be necessary “to accomplish a low risk incremental approach, properly allocate warfighter capabilities in the initial capabilities development document addendum and flow down those requirements into the space segment specification. The government’s intent is to implement a delta SRR and continue to make progress towards a key decision point-B to avoid impacts to initial launch capability of 2013.”

• Boeing Air Force Space Systems in Huntington Beach, CA received a $10 million contract modification, 8.5 million of which has already been committed. Work will be complete January 2007 (FA8807-04-C-0002/P00018).

• Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space Corp. in King of Prussia, PA received a $10 million contract modification, $9.2 million of which has been committed. Work will be complete January 2007 (FA8807-04-C-0001/P00020).
  
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Navstar GPS IIF
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Boeing Co. Navigation and Communication Systems in Huntington Beach, CA received a $138.3 million fixed-price-incentive-firm, and cost-plus-award-fee contract modification for the NAVSTAR Global Positioning System Block IIF. As our spotlight article “The GPS Constellation: Now and Future” put it: “The follow-on system for the Navstar GPS Block IIR-M will be the Block IIF “follow-on” satellite. These satellites will have the same capabilities as the Block IIR-M, plus a third civil signal called L5 to support civil aviation and other applications. Navstar GPS Block IIF will be the end of the current generation of GPS satellites.”

This contract modification exercises the FY 2006 option to begin production of three new Block IIF GPS satellites (Space Vehicle 10-12 under the military’s NAVSTAR GPS joint program office). Boeing expects that the first GPS Block IIF satellite, known as SV-1, will be ready for delivery in 2007, and work on this contract for the 3 new satellites will be complete in January 2010. The Headquarters Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA issued the contract (F04701-96-C-0025/P00387). See also Boeing’s July 5/06 corporate release.

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The USA is funding an R&D effort for global positioning system (GPS) modernized user equipment (MUE). The primary objective for the MUE receiver card development program is to develop and demonstrate a modernized user segment receiver card, thus establishing a first proof of design for the modernized GPS architecture. See DID’s August 2005 article “The GPS Constellation: Now and Future” for more information regarding that modernization.

Solicitations began November 2005, negotiations were complete May 2006, and work will be complete October 2007. The Headquarters Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA issued $102.9 million worth of cost-plus-award-fee contracts:

• Interstate Electronics Corp. in Anaheim, CA: $37.2 million (FA8807-06-C-0001)
• Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, IA: $27.9 million (FA8807-06-C-0003)
• Raytheon Co. in El Segundo, CA: $37.8 million (FA8807-06-C-0004)
  
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Galileo concept
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Lockheed Martin and EADS Astrium announced that they have signed a teaming agreement to ensure interoperability of the Global Positioning System (GPS) III and the European Galileo Satellite Navigation programs. The two companies will perform systems engineering and technical assistance tasks for each other in the areas of interoperability, integrity and optimization of joint constellation performance. Additionally, the companies will offer reciprocal bids on operational hardware and software within the policy and export constraints of both programs.

Navstar Constellation:
GPS Block IIA, IIR/M, IIF
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“This opens a new dimension of cooperation between two of the world’s leading technology companies in systems that will benefit consumers for decades as the Galileo and GPS III systems come on line,” said Reinhold Lutz, EADS Senior Vice President for Earth Observation, Navigation & Science.

See DID’s in-depth coverage of the USA’s NAVSTAR GPS system plans for more information.

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Block IV Cutaway
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Raytheon Company announced that it has been awarded a $346 million FY 2006 production contract increment to supply the U.S. and United Kingdom navies with the Block IV (Tactical) Tomahawk non-nuclear cruise missile. Raytheon notes that this is the third installment on a multi-year contract whose value could reach $1.6 billion. Manufacturing work will be done at Raytheon’s Missile Systems businesses in Tucson, AZ and Camden, AR, and is expected to be complete in 2009.

The Navy and Raytheon have entered into a five-year procurement contract to replenish Tomahawk inventory at the most affordable cost. The legacy program Tomahawk missile is the Navy’s weapon of choice for critical, long-range precision strike missions against high value, heavily defended targets. Other notes re: the Block IV missiles and related recent contracts include…

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DAGR GPS

Rockwell Collins Inc., Cedar Rapids, IA received a $7.8 million firm fixed price and cost plus fixed fee contract modification for the purchase of another 3,614 defense advanced GPS receivers (DAGRs) and accessories. The DAGR provides authorized Department of Defense and foreign military sales users of GPS user equipment a precise positioning system (PPS), hand-held, dual-frequency (L1/L2), lightweight receiver (less than one pound) that incorporates the next generation, tamper-resistant GPS selective availability anti-spoofing module (SASSM) security module. The DAGR replaces the Precision Lightweight GPS Receiver (PLGR) in integrated platforms as well as for the advanced and basic GPS user.

This effort also supports foreign military sales to Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Kuwait, and Spain. Work will be complete April 2007. The Headquarters Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA issued the contract (F04701-02-C-0011/P00037). To date, the US and its allies have spent approximately $188 million for DAGR systems, and received nearly 76,600 systems excluding initial test deliveries (see all related contracts, and also all related DID coverage.

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Navstar GPS Block IIR
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The Headquarters Space and Missile Systems Center at Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA awarded Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space Corp. in King of Prussia, PA a $23.6 million cost-plus award-fee, fixed-price with economic price adjustment, fixed-price incentive firm, cost plus fixed fee, firm fixed price, cost plus incentive fee, cost contract (no fee) contract modification [Ed: “and a partridge in a pear tree….”]. It exercises options for calendar year 2006 entitled, “Launch Operations Support and On-Orbit Operations Support for the Navstar Global Positioning System Block IIR Program.” Work will be complete December 2006 (F04701-89-C-0073/ P00341).

Lockheed’s GPS Satellite team is gearing up for the launch of the second modernized IIR satellite, which is scheduled for liftoff in “early 2006” from Cape Canaveral. Note that the designation “Block IIR” stands for “replacement”; DID’s updated August 2005 article “The GPS Constellation: Now and Future” explains the GPS constellation and its planned upgrades in greater depth.

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