The Air Force has declared the newest Global Positioning System satellite to be fully operational, according to a Dec. 19 statement from prime contractor Lockheed Martin. Air Force Space Command operators shepherded launch of the GPS IIR-16M satellite from Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., last month. It is part of Lockheed’s eight-satellite Block IIR-M series. On-orbit, it joined two other Block IIR-M satellites and 12 original IIR satellites, according to Lockheed.
The Air Force plans to spend $213 million on its fleet of CV-22s in fiscal 2027, part of a larger $1.12 billion investment across the Pentagon on a suite of improvements for the Osprey.