GPS World, February 2018

DEFENSEUPDATE GAO Better Coordination Needed for M Code Adoption T he U S Government Accountability Office GAO recommends the Department of Defense DOD assign responsibility to an organization to collect test data lessons learned and design solutions in its effort to meet GPS modernization goals According to the GAO The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Technology and Logistics as part of M code receiver card acquisition planning assign an organization with responsibility for systematically collecting integration test data lessons learned and design solutions and making them available to all programs expected to integrate M code receiver cards DOD has made some progress on initial testing of the receiver cards needed to utilize the M code signal However additional development is necessary to make M code work with over 700 weapon systems that require it The GAO presented its findings in a 53 page report i s sued Dec 1 2 Gl obal Positioning System Better Planning and Coordination Needed to Improve Prospects for Fielding Modernized Capability The DOD concurred with the recommendation 40 GPS WORLD WWW GPSWORLD COM FEBRUARY 2018 DOD ISRAEL SEEK STARTUPS The U S Department of Defense and Israels Ministry of Defense are joining forces for the third time in setting up a startup competition to tap into new technologies to beat terrorism More than 200000 in prizes will be awarded to the most promising startups As terrorists become ever more sophisticated technological innovations become an increasingly critical component of detecting and defeating them challenge organizers said The challenge is is divided into two tracks The General Technologies Track includes surveillance social media analytics image and video cybersecurity drones robotics personal protection biometrics reconnaissance and detection of explosives or water contamination The Urban Navigation Technologies Track focuses on navigating without GPS an increasingly important issue for special forces law enforcement and other antiterrorism professionals who need to operate indoors or in environments where GPS is not available Entries in this track might include location services based on beacons technologies incorporating pre loaded maps technologies that estimate a users position via deadreckoning or step counting and any other technology for navigating or positioning with no GPS Both tracks are open to all startups entrepreneurs and research groups worldwide with a deadline of March 9 Entries will be reviewed by an international panel of judges from the DoD Israel Defense and other organizations The most promising startups will be invited to present at the Combating Terrorism Technology Conference in Tel Aviv University on June 17 In addition Navigation Challenge finalists will demonstrate their technologies in a dedicated urban navigation test facility in Israel USAF CONTRACTS LONG FLIGHT ORION T he U S Air Force has awarded a 48 million contract to Aurora Flight Sciences for continued development of the Orion unmanned aircraft system UAS Aurora Flight was acquired by The Boeing Company in November 2017 Orion is a twin engine highperformance UAS that can stay aloft over 100 hours at a time with payloads in excess of 1000 pounds Development of the Orion started in 2006 and its first flight was in August 2013 In December 2014 the Orion established the UAS world endurance record with an 80 hour flight The new contract funds development of a certified version of Orion suitable for deployment anywhere in the world The work will be performed in Columbus Mississippi and Manassas Virginia Photo U S Army Status of weapon systems that have determined the cost needed to transition to M code receivers through Fiscal Year 2021 as of February 2017