Raytheon locks onto Air Force GPS deal

Raytheon Co. will help complete development of a new generation of Global Positioning System receivers for the Air Force under a $61 million contract.

Under the Modernized User Equipment program, the circuit card technology will connect military users with new GPS navigation signals, which are compatible with enhanced Navstar GPS satellites. The receivers, which will employ the new M-code military signal, also will work with older signal systems.

The contracting agency is the Global Positioning System Wing at the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center in Los Angeles.

The Modernized User Equipment program aims to raise the capability of military GPS equipment while lowering the cost, company officials said.

Raytheon is teamed on the program with General Dynamics and Trimble Navigation Systems.

Also as part of the project, two receiver cards are being developed that will allow modular upgrades of Raytheon's avionics, weapons and integrated sensor systems ahead of the full deployment of the GPS III satellite constellation.

Raytheon Co. is based in Waltham, Mass., and ranks No. 6 on Washington Technology's 2007 Top 100 list of the largest federal government prime contractors.