Space Force declares GPS anti-spoofing signal operational
WASHINGTON - War fighters can access a limited version of a new, more secure military GPS signal, after the US Space Force recently declared a necessary ground system upgrade in operation.
More accurate than civilian signal, the M-Code encrypted programming language provides advanced anti-spoofing and anti-jamming capabilities designed to deliver positioning, navigation and timing data to the war fighter even when adversaries attempt to block or to degrade the signal. But even as the military has successfully added more and more GPS satellites with the availability of the M-23 code and more - the ground-based system specifically designed for GPS III and M-Code is years behind schedule. According to a 2019 Government Accountability Office report, the $ 6.2 billion Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX) built by Raytheon Technologies is five years overdue, and the government does not expect it to be. delivered before June 2021. #GPS jammer
To provide earlier M-Code access, the Air Force commissioned Lockheed Martin in 2017 to build an upgrade to the current ground system called M-Code Early Use (MCEU), a more limited version of M-Code which will work until OCX is ready. Installation of MCEU hardware and software upgrades was officially completed in July.
On December 4, the Space Force announced that the MCEU had received operational acceptance on November 18, meaning that war fighters with the appropriate user equipment can now request access to the M-Code signal.
“The MCEU ushers in a new era of GPS support that will provide wartime operators with secure PNT access while further preventing unauthorized use by our adversaries. This is a crucial step to remain the gold standard of PNT systems and promote a peaceful, safe, stable and accessible space domain, ”said Lt. Jordan Malara, deputy commander of the GPS Warfighter Collaboration Cell. 2nd Space Operations Squadron, in a statement.
The first version of the ground-based system allows Space Force to upload, download and monitor the M code within the GPS constellation, and the branch will use the system to support testing of new military equipment by GPS users.
“The more secure, harder to scramble and spoof M-Code signals are essential to help our fighters carry out their missions, especially in contested environments,” said Maria Demaree, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's Mission Solutions business line. "This upgrade to the current GPS ground control system and the launch of more modernized GPS III satellites make the full field of M-Code a reality."
