GPS OCX completes test milestone
Raytheon has reached a new milestone in the development of the US Air Force's (USAF) Global Positioning System Next Generation Operational Control System (GPS OCX), the company announced on 12 October.
A series of risk reduction functional checkouts of OCX Block 1 capabilities have now been completed, with a focus on OCX software. This latest development activity integrated iteration 1.5 of the OCX Block 1 Master Control Station with the GPS System Simulator. Operational scenarios were then run, representing the first end-to-end integration of available Block 1 capabilities.
The testing included GPS constellation management and sustainment, demonstrating OCX's abilities for precision navigation and timing capabilities in a fully cyber-hardened environment. The test included running Kalman filters and generating GPS satellite navigation uploads.
Raytheon received the contract to develop the GPS OCX in 2010 to replace the current GPS operational control system. The work is part of the US Air Force's wider GPS modernisation programme, which will bring new positioning, navigation and timing capabilities for both the US military and civilian users.
The new GPS OCX will have a number of modernised capabilities, including robust cybersecurity and deployment of jam-resistant, operational military code - M-code. The OCX Launch and Checkout System provides an early delivery of much of the overall block 1 OCX capability, and will support the GPS III satellite launches.
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