Lockheed Martin Secures GPS Contract with U.S. Air Force

Written by Dabney B. on Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

Several decades ago, Global Positioning Systems were a distant and seemingly unobtainable piece of technology that were more fitting in a science fiction novel. We’ve come quite a long way since then, making GPS technology so accessible and prolific that most of have that functionality on our phone.

If you wanted, you could probably figure out the precise longitude and latitude of your bedroom. It may seem a bit incredible, but that is exactly the same technology used by the military. Figuring out directions to the nearest hotel is the same process as isolating the exact coordinates of a distress call made by troops pinned down in unfriendly territory. For the most part, the only real difference is that the military needs to be able to utilize GPS signals without the technological infrastructure that’s spread throughout America.

 

To ensure that the U.S. stays at the forefront of surveillance advancement, the Air Force has just sealed a $238 million contract with Lockheed Martin to build 2 more satellites in the newest valium order online generation of GPS satellites. Called GPS III, this newest generation will help the U.S. to maintain its current lifestyle and military standards.

The contract was well earned, as Lockheed Martin already had a contract for $1.5 billion to create and test a prototype. Lockheed Martin is currently tinkering away at the next great satellite in their Waterton Canyon base in Colorado.

 

While having the newest model of GPS satellites in space will undoubtedly help the military, the U.S. government also plans to extend the functionality of these satellites to aid civilians in their day-to-day life. These satellites should help to enhance the speed and accuracy of handheld GPS systems here in the U.S. of A.

Lockheed Martin will be working with the Global Positioning Systems Directorate in the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center to ensure that every aspect of GPS III is up to par.

The contract holds the potential for Lockheed Martin to produce up to 8 additional satellites.

 

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