BAE Lands $326M DLA Contract for M-Code GPS Modules

BAE Systems has been awarded a $325.5 million contract to provide M-Code Global Positioning System modules to the Defense Logistics Agency.

Modernized GPS User Equipment Increment 1 common GPS modules built for the M-Code protocol will be delivered until 2030, BAE Systems said Tuesday.

Greg Wild, director of navigation sensor systems at BAE Systems, said the company’s M-Code-ready GPS technology will give warfighters reliable access to information when they need it.

BAE Systems added that its portfolio of M-Code GPS receivers provides various solutions for airborne systems, precision, munitions, handheld receivers and embedded applications.

The company will also manufacture modules and use them to create GPS receivers for ground and prevision-guided munitions.

The M-Code signal was created to enhance the resistance of positioning, navigation and timing systems against jamming and spoofing, a capability that BAE Systems said is needed for contested electronic warfare environments.

In February, the National Institute of Standards and Technology published the final version of the government’s guidance on ensuring PNT cybersecurity.

The NIST PNT profile was designed to help organizations manage risk systems, networks and assets like GPS. The profile contains a comprehensive list of PNT cybersecurity references to help most users tailor NIST’s approach to their own systems.

Jim McCarthy, one of the profile’s authors, said the document includes a “quick guide” section to offer a simplified overview for users less familiar with their own use of PNT services.

NIST developed the profile in response to the Trump administration’s Executive Order 13905 titled “Strengthening National Resilience Through Responsible Use of Positioning, Navigation and Timing Services.”