Rockwell Collins’ Receiver Cards Used to Navigate RQ-11B Raven UAV With Live M-code Signals

Rockwell Collins’ Receiver Cards were recently used in an historic test flight resulting in the first time any aircraft has used to successfully navigate. The M-code signal is one of the key elements in the modernization of military GPS capabilities. This testing supports a congressional mandate to implement next-generation M-code technology on all U.S. Department of Defense platforms.

The flight, which took place at Holloman Air Force Base near Alamogordo, N.M., in June, successfully tested the Rockwell Collins GB-GRAM-M (M-code GPS Receiver) integrated into the RQ-11B Raven unmanned aerial system, one of the lead integration platforms for the Modernized User Equipment (MUE) development program. The Raven navigated using the position, velocity and time solution provided by the GB-GRAM-M Receiver processing of the live M-code signal. Additionally, the government tested the robustness of the Rockwell Collins GB-GRAM-M Receiver in a hostile radio frequency environment.

“This milestone is a major step forward in providing enhanced integrity, exclusivity and improved anti-jam capabilities to our military, and adds to our rich legacy of achieving GPS technology firsts at Rockwell Collins,” said Mike Jones, vice president and general manager of Communication and Navigation Products for Rockwell Collins. “From receiving the very first GPS signals from space to this most recent achievement, Rockwell Collins continues to provide our customers with secure, precise and reliable navigation solutions.”

Rockwell Collins is executing one of the MUE card development contracts, awarded by the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, aimed at developing the military user equipment portion of the next-generation GPS system that incorporates a new military signal and security architecture.