Boeing is a subcontractor to Raytheon, which was awarded the $160 million, 18-month contract by the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center in November. The first phase of the OCX contract progresses the programme through a system design review and the concurrent development of a ground system prototype engineering model. The model will demonstrate improved mission capabilities, as well as integration and compatibility across GPS satellite models operating today and in the future, including GPS IIF and GPS III. Boeing is currently producing 12 GPS IIF satellites, with the first scheduled to launch next year, and earlier this year submittal its proposal to the Air Force for the development and production of up to 1′2 GPS III satellites. In other GPS news, the USAF has exercised a $50.7 million contract option with Rockwell Collins to complete the next phase of the Modernized User Equipment (MUE) programme. Work will consist of receiver card development for ground and airborne applications, to include test and security certification for the next-generation GPS technology. The initial contract of $27.9 million was awarded in 2006 to Rockwell Collins to develop and demonstrate user segment receiver cards, establishing the first proof of design for the future GPS architecture. That contract, which was executed through October 2007, supported preliminary design of the modernized receiver cards. The MUE Receiver Card Development programme represents the military user equipment portion of the next-generation GPS system that adds a new military signal and security architecture.
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