BALTIMOR – Northrop Grumman Corporation, in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratories Directorate, demonstrated the first Software defined radio (SDR), M-code activated GPS receiver of production hardware during a recent flight test. In real time, the SDR acquires and tracks the upgraded GPS military signal, known as the M-code, during a live demonstration.
Furthermore, Northrop Grumman has achieved an important stage in security certification by obtaining approval for the review of the certification of the SDR-based GPS receiver by the GPS Directorate. This step is a critical step towards sending an GPS receiver with an activated M-code that can operate in an unclassified environment.
Using the SDR approach of a system on a chip, instead of the traditional design of a specific integrated circuit (ASIC), allows the platform to make rapid changes in the field in real time.