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The US Space Force signed a $105 million deal with Lockheed Martin to modernize the ground infrastructure of GPS and protect the system against electronic warfare, with next-generation satellites capable of emitting signals 63 times more intense than the current ones and keeping military and civil operations running.
The US Space Force formalized a $105 million agreement with Lockheed Martin on Thursday (16) to continue the modernization of GPS from control facilities located on American soil. The announcement, made on April 16, 2026, is part of a program that has been ongoing for over ten years and is now entering a phase aimed at protecting the system against electronic warfare and attempts to jam by hostile forces. The concern is direct: GPS supports everything from combat operations to civil services used by billions of people, and any successful attack on its satellites could paralyze transportation, financial operations, and energy supply around the globe.
The modernization mechanism operates on two fronts simultaneously. On the ground, Lockheed Martin will provide technical support to launch satellites into orbit, monitor their initial months of operation, and, when necessary, take them out of service, according to Poder Aéreo. In space, the US is preparing the GPS IIIF generation, whose satellites will be able to transmit signals with intensity up to 63 times greater than the models currently in operation, according to data released by the manufacturer. The goal is to ensure that GPS functions accurately even when adversaries attempt to corrupt or silence its signals.
What is being reinforced in GPS and why the US accelerated investment
The agreement expands a joint effort between the Space Force and Lockheed Martin that has already accumulated over ten years of collaboration on GPS command infrastructure. The tasks covered by the new investment include assistance in launches, initial operations in orbit, and the controlled shutdown of the latest generation satellites. All this effort applies to the GPS IIIF line, which is in the development phase and represents the most advanced stage of the constellation.
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The acceleration is justified by the current context. The GPS is considered one of the most sensitive critical infrastructures on the planet, and the U.S. recognizes that adversaries already possess electronic warfare tools capable of compromising navigation satellites. Shielding the system against this type of threat has ceased to be a technical issue and has become a national defense priority. The program signals that Washington treats the protection of GPS as a continuous investment, with no end in sight.
Signals 63 times more powerful and the M-Code for combat use
The technical core of the program is to increase the GPS’s resistance to deliberate interference. The satellites that make up the IIIF generation have been designed to emit signals with a strength up to 63 times greater than that of the equipment currently in orbit, which makes it exponentially more difficult for an adversary to block or spoof the location data received in the field.
In addition to raw power, the new GPS satellites will feature a unique signal called M-Code, developed for military use in environments where there is active competition for the electromagnetic spectrum. The M-Code has been designed to operate reliably even when the enemy employs electronic warfare resources to disrupt satellite communications in the conflict zone. With this extra layer of protection, the U.S. armed forces intend to maintain full navigation and tactical coordination capability in any operational scenario.
GPS as a global infrastructure that goes far beyond the battlefield
Although the investment originated from the U.S. Space Force, the effects of modernization reach the entire civil chain that depends on GPS. The system supports everything from aircraft and vessel navigation to the synchronization of electrical grids and the validation of real-time financial transactions. A prolonged disruption would have cascading consequences that would affect entire economies.
Global dependence has quietly grown over decades, and few countries maintain their own operational alternatives. Russia, China, and Europe have independent constellations, but most of the planet’s civilian devices still use American satellites as the primary positioning reference. This places the U.S. in a position of dual responsibility: to protect GPS to sustain its advantage in electronic warfare scenarios and, at the same time, to preserve the stability of civil services upon which billions of people rely every day.
From GPS III generation to GPS IIIF: the path of the constellation
Lockheed Martin has completed the manufacturing of all GPS III generation satellites, which brought significant gains in precision and resilience compared to previous models. The focus is now entirely on the assembly and integration of the GPS IIIF line, which is expected to elevate the constellation’s performance to an unprecedented level. Each new satellite launched replaces an older unit and adds capabilities that the original system did not foresee.
The $105 million announced by the U.S. indicates that the modernization of GPS is treated as a permanent process. Space has ceased to be a cooperative domain and has become an arena of competition, where rival powers develop electronic warfare weapons capable of incapacitating navigation satellites. Keeping the constellation operational in this environment requires constant updates, both in the technology onboard the satellites and in the Lockheed Martin control centers installed on the ground.
And you, did you know that GPS can be targeted in a war? Do you think $105 million is enough to protect the system that the entire world uses, or should the U.S. invest much more? Leave your opinion in the comments.
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