New Tech Best Practices Drive Progress on Next-Gen GPS OCX Control System

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Raytheon's use of technology development best practices and its completion of a systems engineering milestone are driving progress on the U.S. Air Force Global Positioning System Next-Generation Operational Control System, known as GPS OCX. This new system will provide improved performance and security for the GPS technology used by millions of users worldwide. 

Raytheon has completed its latest major systems engineering milestone for the final software iteration, a marker of the progress achieved by the GPS OCX program course corrections implemented over the last two years. The milestone provided extra rigor and accountability around the systems engineering for the rest of the GPS OCX program. It also enables more efficient completion of the remaining software development and associated cyber protection capabilities that will harden the system against hackers, double GPS accuracy, enhance its availability, and eventually replace the stop-gap and patching measures currently used on the legacy GPS ground system. 

The OCX team reduced development cycle times to create more efficient and effective software development by using a commercial best practice called DevOps.  DevOps combines commercial cloud technologies, new automation and software development processes. This is the first use of DevOps in a large-scale U.S. Department of Defense acquisition program. 

"The recent milestones achieved for OCX demonstrate our resolve to meet long-term schedule commitments and keep our momentum in 2017," said Dave Wajsgras, president of Raytheon's Intelligence, Information and Services business. "These software development innovations are helping to drive OCX capabilities, the replacement of the legacy GPS ground system, and significant enhancements to GPS overall." 

The U.S. Air Force-led GPS Modernization Program will yield new positioning, navigation and timing capabilities for U.S. military and civilian users across the globe. Developed by Raytheon under contract to the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, GPS OCX is replacing the current GPS operational control system and will support the launch of the GPS III satellites. The new system will provide enhanced performance, the effective use of modern civil and military signals and secure information-sharing with unprecedented cyber protection. 

About Raytheon 

Raytheon Company, with 2016 sales of $24 billion and 63,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 95 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5ITM products and services, sensing, effects, and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries.