BAE Systems awarded $16M contract for U.S. Navy GPS upgrade

BAE Systems has been awarded a $16 million contract from Collins Aerospace to develop an M-Code Global Positioning System (GPS) solution for the U.S. Navy’s Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (JPALS).

The project involves providing the DIGAR-500M Digital GPS Anti-Jam Receiver to upgrade JPALS to M-Code. This upgrade is designed to enhance the resilience of the Navy’s next-generation navigation system, which guides aircraft to perform safe, accurate landings on aircraft carriers under various weather and environmental conditions.

M-Code is an encrypted GPS signal used by the U.S. military to improve security and anti-jamming performance. The DIGAR-500M will support dual SAASM and M-Code operations, allowing for mixed-aircraft configurations while strengthening protection against electronic interference and spoofing through advanced digital beamforming.