Lockheed to perform work on additional GPS III satellites

Lockheed Martin has won a $62 million contract from the Air Force to work on the Global Positioning System (GPS) III space vehicles 5 and 6, the Defense Department said February 8.

The Air Force's next generation GPS III satellites will replace the GPS satellites now on orbit, which are aging quickly and not keeping up with user demands for more capability, according to Lockheed Martin's website.

The GPS III satellites will improve position, navigation and timing services and provide advanced anti-jam capabilities yielding superior system security, accuracy and reliability, according to Lockheed Martin. The next-generation GPS III satellites will deliver signals three times more accurate than current GPS spacecraft and furnish three times more power for military users. The spacecraft will have a longer life and a new civil signal designed to be interoperable with international global navigation satellite systems.

The work is scheduled to be completed by June 30, 2017. The contracting activity is SMC/GPK, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif.