Jay Clemens
Northrop Grumman has received a $4.8 million contract to update the U.S. Air Force’s global positioning system and inertial navigation system intended to help transmit military signals.
The company will test the modes of performance of new GPS receivers, conduct trade research, evaluate military GPS user equipment and assist in the development of future inertial navigation systems, Northrop said Wednesday.
“We are honored to help shape the next generation of navigation systems that will modernize the GPS infrastructure and keep our warfighters safer,” said Bob Mehltretter, vice president of navigation and positioning systems business unit at Northrop.
The updated GPS will incorporate automatic dependence surveillance-broadcast by January 2020 in compliance with the Federal Aviation Administration‘s NextGen air traffic control requirements.
ADS-B Out sends data about an aircraft’s altitude, speed and location to ground stations and other aircraft.
