Comments on: Find More Backups for GPS: AF Chief

By: car gps

car gps — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 07:47:45 +0000

The GPS system is not “degrading”. It has on-orbit spares.

And to those who say “shut down the system” because travelers allegedly don’t know where they are without it? I guess you’d like higher food and goods prices, because the GPS signals are used to track all kinds of assets.

And, did you say “shut down LORAN-C”? Did you say “shut down VOR”? Did you say “shut down directional beacons”? Come on, stop the Luddite stuff. Electronic navigation has been around for over 60 years. GPS is just the latest refinement.

I say this as an electronics engineer with over 12 years experience designing and improving GPS-enabled electronic systems.

By: car dvd

car dvd — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 05:43:13 +0000

GPS is a very valuable tool and should certainly not be discarded. However General Norton is correct when stating the vulnerably such networks have. We must be able to operate effectively in an environment where we don’t have the benefit of our GPS systems.

By: WDG

WDG — Thu, 06 May 2010 23:27:57 +0000

In response to the WarScientist blog, the collision of the irridium and the inactive satellite body some time ago did not precipitate any dominoe effect. LEO sats, GEO sats, POLAR sats are different orbits altogether. GPS being much higher altitude than any ASAT weapon can reach, except perhaps lasers. The only change to normal ops on the part of Irridium was to do more monitoring of orbit paths and perhaps some minor manuvers to be well away from any debris cloud.

By: Musket 104

Musket 104 — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:30:44 +0000

What’s old is new!

Back in the “day” (1980’s) Link 16 was originally developed as a Comm, NAV, and ID system. It did it’s navigating by straightforward time of arrival of signals from other participants and use of a (master) nav controller (general a fixed ground station or flagship. With the advent GPS, net participants just used their GPS position.

Specific to JDAM; if it loses the GPS, it reverts to a ring-laser gyro INS backup system.

By: hindsyte2020

hindsyte2020 — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:27:42 +0000

The problem with not liking to deal with a potentially crippling countermeasure to a technology giving an overwhelming advantage is that when it becomes a high value target, we tend to bury our heads in the sand and not deal with it until too late.
It would appear obvious that the current crop of gps Sats must be augmented by another array hardened with armor, armed with point defense weapons, and possessing both enough power to “Burn through” jamming when needed and deliver a coded time shifted signal that must be decoded on the ground. Expensive-most definitely. Technically challenging –without a doubt. Worth it — Dam strait.
GPS gives us an almost unfair advantage when it comes to making the most out of precision munitions, situational awareness, and navigation. If developed and deployed now, then placed in deeper orbits and not activated until the original array is attacked in some future conflict, this would insure victory and that the conflict not need be escalated into a tragedy for mankind.

By: roland

roland — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:16:17 +0000

That can be dangerous and scary. Our scientist whould find an alternative solutions if GPS stop working.

By: WarScientist

WarScientist — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:29:53 +0000

Currently there are thousands of pieces of space debris in orbit around earth, most of them travelling at several kilometers per second. A single screw travelling att 2000m/s can easily destroy a satellite, which in turn will generate many more pieces of debris, which can go to hit further satellites resulting in a cascade effect whereby the earth is surrounded by a sea of setellite destroying projectiles.

If an anti-satellite weapon is ever detonated in space the resulting explosion will generate so much debris that almost every satellite network on earth will be affected, as satellites are either destroyed or forced out of their planned orbit in order to avoid a collision.

Oh and fun fact: Once the GPS system goes down, the stock market will crash, because the banking system is synchronised via GPS.

By: roland

roland — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:19:49 +0000

How about this record all posible GPS location/ designator, where our guided missile will go in the firewalled server, by the time the GPS lost or stop working, we (US) still have the location where it will be hitting.

By: William C.

William C. — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 07:54:50 +0000

The right wing has been corrupted? Aren’t you thinking of the left?

By: Tom M.

Tom M. — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 05:03:59 +0000

Not necessarily. China is developing its own system and could also use GLONASS (Russia’s system) in a multi-frequency receiver. I think they still would jam locally to throw confusion into the mix.

By: RSF

RSF — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:43:13 +0000

And this from the Gates leadership that continue to perpetrate the myth of the “last manned fighter”. Has it occurred to anyone that the same jamming/hacking threats to the GPS satellite system, are also a problem for communications satellites controlling drone operations?

By: Armamentsoldier

Armamentsoldier — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 01:49:21 +0000

I think This General is a dork. Apples iPhone? are you serious? Another step in the process of killing domocracy as we know it. Bush started it and this crap will help finish it. Let me guess, kill the Military by buying this crap from big corporation you kill the country, and this idea would for sure kill the Military. Our Military might as well start working for big corporation. The next thing you know, we will be wearing their(corporation) patch on our uniforms, One word, merc’s. Stalin said something we should never forget, “All we(the USSR) have to do is corrupt one generation of the US and the rest will fall”. And the right wing have been currupted. The USSR may be no more but their work is done, and Democracies work must never stop.

By: Usetobe

Usetobe — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:09:53 +0000

Gen Schwartz is a wise man

By: Glasshole

Glasshole — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:07:55 +0000

when i say used on the cruise missle, it was the original navigation system, and a redundant system now, in case of GPS interruption.

By: Glasshole

Glasshole — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:04:50 +0000

they are accurate to way closer than 30–50 feet. They use inertial navigation on the cruise missle, is that accurate enough?

By: alex

alex — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:30:56 +0000

But how precise is intertial navigation? If GPS can put a bomb within a few feet of the target, what can an inertial guidance system do? Even if it can be accurate to within 30–50 feet, that is still a HUGE difference that would be unacceptable in most air-support operations.

By: bhodie

bhodie — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:04:49 +0000

Probably already several (secret) funded projects.

By: Glasshole

Glasshole — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:30:53 +0000

I work for a company that makes guidance systems for aircraft and missles. Some of our systems use GPS but only in conjunction with inertial navigation instruments in case of GPS signal interruption. Inertial navigation is very precise. To rely soley on GPS would be a disaster.

By: Andrea

Andrea — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:30:21 +0000

Gen Schwartz should focus on countering GPS jamming & interference threats.

By: Captain Tom

Captain Tom — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:14:05 +0000

Good thing there is no further need for the LORAN system that they just killed off.