DIGAR uses advanced antenna electronics, high-performance signal-processing and digital ‘beamforming’
Sep. 8, 2022 12:32 pm, Updated: Sep. 8, 2022 2:30 pm
CEDAR RAPIDS -- BAE Systems received a $13 million contract for advanced global positioning system technology to protect F-15E aircraft from GPS signal jamming and spoofing.
The company’s Digital GPS Anti-jam Receiver, or DIGAR, uses advanced antenna electronics, high-performance signal-processing and digital “beamforming” — a capability that combines 16 steered beams — for better GPS signal reception and superior jamming immunity, the company said in a news release Thursday.
“These capabilities are critical for high-speed aircraft as they maneuver through the battle space,” according to BAE Systems.
The company said the contract was not with the U.S. Department of Defense but provided no further details.
BAE Systems now occupies a $100 million, 278,000-square-foot research and manufacturing center it built at 76th Avenue SW and Sixth Street SW in Cedar Rapids.
United Kingdom-based BAE Systems bought Collins Aerospace’s military GPS business unit in 2020.
The F-15 Eagle is the second U.S. Air Force fighter platform to receive DIGAR GPS upgrades, following the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the news release said.
“Modern airborne missions require accurate positioning and navigation data, and GPS systems must be able to withstand adversaries’ best disruption efforts,” Greg Wild, Navigation and Sensor Systems product line director at BAE Systems in Cedar Rapids, said in the release.
“Our DIGAR antenna electronics are trusted to protect these platforms in contested environments.”
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In addition to GPS Anti-Jam products, BAE Systems provides advanced GPS products compatible with the next-generation M-Code satellite signal.
The company also is developing the next generation of receivers to ensure dependable GPS for warfighters across land, air, and sea domains, the release said.
An interview with BAE Systems’ Luke Bishop, director of engineering for BAE’s Navigation and Sensor Systems in Cedar Rapids, will be available on The Gazette’s website, at thegazette.com/spotlight, on Sept. 27.
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