Rendering of L3Harris Resilient GPS satellites supporting Earth coverage with boosted M-Code and regional power above boosted M levels
By Jeff Hanke, Space Systems President, Space and Airborne Systems, L3Harris Technologies
GPS is not only a cornerstone to our military superiority, it is foundational to our national and global economic stability. In fact, analysts warn that GPS outages could cost our economy $1 billion per day. Once the world's sole global navigation satellite system, GPS now competes with international alternatives. While the U.S. continues investing in GPS modernization, other nations have been more aggressive in adopting new technologies and expanding their satellite networks.
Recently, our adversaries have deployed sophisticated efforts to disrupt, deny and degrade U.S. Precision, Navigation and Timing (PNT) advantages. The conflict in Ukraine offers a sobering wake-up call where advanced electronic warfare capabilities have effectively degraded or denied GPS-guided weapons and unmanned vehicles. This isn't a theoretical threat – it’s happening today, and if we want to dominate on the battlefield, we will need to have a PNT solution that is seamless and adaptive.
R-GPS: A Seamless and Adaptive Solution
The U.S. Space Force's Resilient GPS (R-GPS) offers a straightforward solution to mitigate our adversaries' efforts to deny our warfighters PNT. By quickly deploying a proliferated constellation of adaptable satellites in the same orbit as GPS, we can deliver enhanced M-Code power levels where and when warfighters need them most, ensuring they have access to trusted, jam-resistant PNT signals even in the most challenging electromagnetic environments.
Historically, upgrades to GPS have been costly and time-consuming, often taking decades to deploy. By contrast, R-GPS supplements the investments made in modernizing and enhancing GPS infrastructure while addressing new requirements on an accelerated timeline that aligns with today’s commercial satellite schedules.
R-GPS will be compatible with deployed M-Code user equipment and require minimal changes to the existing operational control segment. R-GPS is essential for providing a resilient operational M-Code and to ensure M-Code equipment remains usable in the face of adversary threats. This effort must be done simultaneously with the rapid deployment of M-Code receivers.
