Navstar GPS Receivers (SPACE)

The NAVSTAR GPS Receivers (Space) program, as outlined under Line Item 2657 in the Navy's FY 2026 budget request, is focused on procuring and installing advanced Global Positioning System (GPS) user equipment and supporting technologies to ensure the Navy's continued access to reliable, secure, and resilient Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) data. This line item is critical to maintaining operational effectiveness across the fleet, particularly in contested or electronically degraded environments where adversaries may attempt to disrupt GPS signals.

The program supports both hardware procurement and system upgrades, with a strong emphasis on anti-jam capabilities and modernization to address emerging threats and obsolescence.

The Navigation Warfare (NAVWAR) component of this line item is tasked with ensuring that U.S. naval forces retain access to GPS signals in electronically contested environments, while also enabling the denial of GPS use to adversaries during military operations. The Sea NAVWAR strategy involves the procurement and installation of Increment 2 Advanced Digital Antenna Production (ADAP) antennas, including a smaller variant for platforms with size, weight, power, and cost constraints.

These ADAP antennas provide dual-frequency nulling and built-in testability, significantly enhancing resistance to both intentional and unintentional interference. NAVWAR will procure ADAP Fiber Optic Antenna Link (FOAL) antennas and install others that were procured in the previous fiscal year, supporting both surface combatants and Military Sealift Command (MSC) platforms.

The Global Positioning System (GPS)-based Positioning, Navigation, & Timing Service (GPNTS) is the Navy's primary PNT system, designed to ensure reliable and interoperable PNT capabilities across shipboard Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR), combat, and weapons systems. GPNTS provides precise PNT data and time synchronization essential for modern networked operations. The system is built on an open architecture, allowing for rapid insertion of software and hardware upgrades, and is being modernized to host the Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE) card, which enables access to the more secure and accurate M-Code GPS signal developed by the U.S. Space Force.

For FY 2026, the GPNTS program plans to procure Full Rate Production (FRP) units, with a portion designated for MSC platforms. Additionally, the program will acquire GPNTS Enhancements for M-GUE and NoGAPSS Upgrades (GPNTS eMNu), which include MGUE Upgrade Kits and Non-GPS Aided Positioning for Surface and Subsurface (NoGAPSS) Upgrade Kits. These upgrades are essential for addressing obsolescence in legacy GPS receivers and for providing alternative navigation solutions in GPS-denied environments. The MGUE kits enable M-Code capability, while NoGAPSS kits provide resilient navigation by integrating advanced timing and frequency components.

The installation and support activities associated with these procurements are also a significant focus of the budget request. Installation costs have been adjusted upward based on historical data, reflecting increased material and labor costs, as well as the complexity of integrating new systems with existing shipboard equipment. The program includes pre-installation design services, production support, and post-installation verification to ensure operational readiness. Installation schedules are closely coordinated with ship availability periods to minimize operational disruption.

Procurement for both NAVWAR and GPNTS is managed through competitive contracts with industry partners, including Raytheon Systems Ltd for ADAP antennas and Sechan Electronics, Inc. and SESCo Inc. for GPNTS units. This approach is intended to promote cost efficiency and continuous improvement in system capabilities. The program also aligns with broader Department of Defense and Executive Branch initiatives to optimize workforce and advisory services expenditures, as reflected in targeted reductions for FY 2026.