Lockheed Martin Wins $238M Contract for GPS III from US Air Force

Lockheed Martin Corp., Space System Co., Newton, Pa., is being awarded a $238,489,236 cost-plus-incentive-fee with award fee contract for exercise option contract line item number 0016 to begin production of GPS III Space Vehicles three and four. The location of the performance is Newtown, Pa. Work is expected to be completed by Jan. 24, 2016. SMC/GPK, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity . The U.S. Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin a $21.5 million contract to provide a Launch and Checkout Capability (LCC) to command and control all GPS III satellites from launch through early on-orbit testing. The LCC, which will be integrated into the Raytheon-developed Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX), will ensure launch availability for the first GPS III satellite in 2014. The LCC includes trained satellite operators and engineering solutions in partnership with OCX to support launch, early orbit operations and checkout of all GPS III satellites before the spacecraft are turned over to Air Force Space Command for operations. "Achieving initial launch capability in 2014 is critical to introducing new GPS capabilities on time and will enable the GPS III program to continue its production pace, maximize efficiencies and reduce long term costs for the GPS enterprise as a whole," said Col Bernard Gruber , director of the U.S. Air Force's Global Positioning Systems Directorate. "The Launch and Checkout Capability will ensure we can launch in 2014, effectively closing the time gap between GPS III and the Next Generation Operational Control System."