The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center is buying two more GPS III satellites from Lockheed Martin for $395 million, the Pentagon announced Sept. 21. The GPS III Space Vehicles 9 and 10 satellites are expected to launch in 2022, according to a release. United Launch Alliance is scheduled to launch the first GPS III satellite in May 2017, and SpaceX is scheduled to launch the second in May 2018, but it’s not clear if the recent explosion of the company’s Falcon 9 rocket will cause delays. Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman are competing to build the 11th GPS III space vehicle.
The Pentagon has concluded a new agreement to buy laser-guidance kits that turn rockets into drone-killing weapons. BAE Systems and the Defense Department announced a framework deal of up to seven years for 25,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guidance kits annually for the U.S. military.

