The United States Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center has established a three-year multinational Project Arrangement, which authorizes the loan of Military Code (M-Code) capable Global Positioning System (GPS) Precise Positioning Service receiver cards to partnering nations for laboratory and field testing.
The arrangement, which was established in close coordination with the Department of Defense, Chief Information Officer and the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs, became effective in December 2020 when Canada became the first co-signer of the document. The first receiver cards were delivered in February 2021. Additionally, France, Germany, the Republic of Korea and the United Kingdom are projected to receive Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE) Increment 1 technology. All partnering nations will conduct laboratory and field tests to evaluate the performance and compatibility of MGUE Increment 1 products with their respective platforms and share their findings and lessons learned. Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, and Sweden have expressed interest and intent in joining the agreement later this year.
M-Code is an upgrade to the currently available GPS signals that provides more resilient positioning, navigation and timing solutions with enhanced security, anti-jam, and anti-spoof capabilities. Providing MGUE to our allies is another example of SMC delivering vital capabilities to the warfighter and users around the world.
The U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center, located at the Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, California, is the center of excellence for acquiring and developing military space systems. SMC’s portfolio includes space launch, global positioning systems, military satellite communications, a meteorological satellite control network, range systems, space-based infrared systems, and space situational awareness capabilities.
