GPS III Faucet Opened: $50M Design Contracts Awarded

December 16, 2006 GPS World

Co-competitors Lockheed Martin Space Systems Corp. and Boeing Co. each received a $49,999,000 cost-plus-fixed fee contract modification to accomplish a GPS III system design review (SDR) in March 2007, towards a key decision point B in June, 2007: the award of a multi-billion dollar development contract for building GPS III. Headquarters Global Positioning Systems Wing, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting entity. Lockheed Martin leads a team that includes ITT and General Dynamics.

The next-generation GPS Block III "will address the challenging military transformational and civil needs across the globe, including advanced anti-jam capabilities and improved system security, accuracy, and reliability."

In early 2005, the GPS III program was restructured from an FY12 first launch to no later than an FY13 first launch.

In September, 2006, the U.S. Air Force announced plans to offer a "healthy incentive" to the prime GPS III contractor for launching the first III satellite in 2011, instead of the current projected 2013 date. Lieutenant General Michael Hamel, Commander, Space and Missile Systems Center, stated "We believe speed-to-market is a key element of our future success."

GPS III contract incentive fees will shift from qualitative to a quantitative basis, structured around cost, schedule, and technical performance.

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