U.S. military troops use GPS receivers during emergency close-air-support training. Credit: U.S. Army
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force has taken control of the Pentagon’s long-delayed effort to field jam-resistant GPS receivers, an organizational shift intended to close a persistent gap between developing the technology and installing it aboard military aircraft, ships, vehicles and weapons.
The transfer, announced July 23, puts the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center in charge of the Military GPS User Equipment program’s first two increments. The program, known as MGUE, had been managed by the Space Force and has experienced years of technical setbacks, schedule slips and divided responsibility among the organizations developing receiver technology and the military services expected to put it into use.
The move gives the Air Force center responsibility for developing, integrating and sustaining equipment capable of receiving M-code, an encrypted military GPS signal designed to provide more secure positioning, navigation and timing when conventional satellite signals are being jammed or spoofed.
The Space Force will continue to operate the GPS satellite constellation and its ground control network. The Air Force will manage much of the equipment that allows aircraft, ships, ground vehicles, weapons and personnel to use the military signal.
