Air Force Space Command is beginning to beam civilian navigation and safety messages from GPS satellites capable of handling the new broadcast signals, announced the Pentagon. The new messaging capability entails use of the L2C commercial signal and L5 safety-of-life signal that the Air Force is adding as part of GPS modernization. They open the door for commercial development of a “more robust position, navigation, and timing solution available to the civilian public,” said Maj. Gen. Robert Wheeler, the Pentagon’s deputy chief for information infrastructure, in an April 25 release. AFSPC plans to begin low-accuracy, pre-operational broadcasts to test equipment this week, followed by the launch of daily updates with more accurate, operational signals in December, according to the release. Officials advised the public to use the signals at their own risk until the capability is fully operational. “We do not anticipate any GPS satellite outages or legacy degradations as a result of the pre-operational deployment of these frequencies,” said Wheeler.
Why DARPA Thinks Stealth Is Obsolete in Future Wars
June 25, 2025
The stealth technology that gave the U.S. its airpower edge over the last 30 years is being overcome by new sensors that will make it hard for anything to hide, putting a premium again on speed and maneuverability, the deputy director of DARPA told AFA's Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.