Lockheed Martin announced that the U.S. Space Force has granted the company a $514 million contract to build two additional Global Positioning System IIIF Space Vehicles, designated SV23 and SV24. With this award, Lockheed Martin’s total GPS IIIF commitment rises to 14 spacecraft.
The GPS IIIF series is designed to provide positioning, navigation and timing services to both military and civilian users. These satellites include a Regional Military Protection capability that the company says increases anti-jamming performance by 63 times. The vehicles also add M-Code-enabled satellites intended to support secure connections for military users and incorporate a digital navigation payload.
Starting with SV13, the GPS IIIF spacecraft are based on the evolved LM2100 Combat Bus platform. That platform offers enhancements the company describes as increased cyber-hardening along with improved spacecraft power, propulsion and electronics.
On the production front, Lockheed Martin reports completion of the core mate milestone for three GPS IIIF satellites. Other IIIF units are in varying phases across the production line. Earlier in the year, all Lockheed Martin-made GPS III satellites had reached orbit, and GPS III SV09 and SV10 were noted as having launched on accelerated timelines.
Separately, Lockheed Martin recently received a $105 million contract to continue work on modernizing the GPS ground segment. The company is advancing GPS IIIF manufacturing at its Denver-area facilities and is applying augmented reality and digital twin technologies with the stated goal of accelerating build rates.
The awarded contract and concurrent ground-segment work underscore ongoing investment in both space hardware and supporting infrastructure as Lockheed Martin proceeds through multiple production phases for its GPS IIIF program.