WASHINGTON — BAE Systems on July 31 announced it has completed the acquisition of the Collins Aerospace military Global Positioning System business that was previously owned by United Technologies Corp.

United Technologies had to sell Collins’ GPS business in order to clear the antitrust regulatory requirements of its merger with Raytheon.

BAE Systems in January announced its intent to buy Collins military GPS division for $1.9 billion. In April Raytheon finalized its merger with United Technologies Corp. to officially form Raytheon Technologies Corp.

Collins military GPS will be integrated into BAE Systems’ Electronic Systems sector. The acquisition brings “GPS anti-jamming and anti-spoofing technology that enables reliable navigation and guidance for a range of defense missions,” BAE Systems said.

Collins military GPS operations are based in Cedar Rapids and Coralville, Iowa, with a workforce of approximately 700 employees. The company said it has delivered 1.5 million devices on more than 280 airborne, ground and weapon system platforms.

Collins Aerospace was one of three companies selected July 8 by the U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center to develop new GPS handheld devices for the U.S. military.

Sandra Erwin writes about military space programs, policy, technology and the industry that supports this sector. She has covered the military, the Pentagon, Congress and the defense industry for nearly two decades as editor of NDIA’s National Defense...