A satellite ground station. Photo: Raytheon

[Via Satellite 06-29-2016] Raytheon recently completed its “Run For Record” test of the U.S. Air Force‘s Global Positioning System Next Generation Operational Control System (GPS OCX) Black Wide Area Network (B-WAN), which provides network connectivity to unclassified external interfaces for GPS OCX. The company completed component-level testing, which included mission capability and cyber controls, with a 100 percent requirements pass rate.

The B-WAN will be deployed as part of OCX Block 1 and Block 0, with the first use of B-WAN in 2017. OCX’s development is delivered in “blocks,” with Block 0 comprising the launch and checkout system to take GPS 3 satellites into early orbit. The beleaguered program has experienced significant delays and cost overruns, but once complete is to enable a number of significant modernized capabilities for GPS users, including robust cybersecurity and deployment of jam-resistant, operational military code, or M-code. Block 1 builds on Block 0 to deliver the full OCX capability, which allows the Air Force to transition from its current GPS ground controls to the modernized GPS OCX. Block 2 delivers concurrently with Block 1 and includes GPS navigation warfare enhancements.