Staff Sgt. Joshua Samuelson, 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron F-15E Strike Eagle weapons load crew member, guides a lift driver lowers a GBU-54 onto a trailer September 2019, at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates. The F-15E is a dual-role fighter designed to perform air-to-air and air-to-ground missions with a wide array of munitions at their disposal. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Chris Thornbury)

BAE Systems Debuts Jamming-Resistant Guided Weapon GPS Receiver

BAE Systems unveiled its newest M-Code GPS receiver for guided weapons and other “small applications” at the Joint Navigation Conference in San Diego. The Strategic Anti-jam Beamforming Receiver – M-Code (SABR-M) provides strong protection against GPS signal jamming and spoofing for precision guided munitions (PGM), missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, allowing them to receive accurate position, velocity, altitude, and timing data even in highly contested environments. 

The SABR-M combines receiver technology with advanced antenna electronics in a hardened, compact 4.5 x 6 x 1 inch package designed for “challenging” performance requirements like installation in PGM guidance packages. According to BAE Systems, the SABR-M is the most capable integrated anti-jam GPS receiver and the first integrated M-Code receiver available for weapon systems.

“We’re making our full portfolio of military GPS solutions M-Code-compatible to meet warfighters’ need for reliable positioning, navigation, and timing data to achieve their missions,” said Doug Lloyd, director of weapon systems GPS at BAE Systems. “SABR-M enables small platforms with challenging environmental conditions to get where they’re going despite interference.”

The SABR-M (BAE Systems)

The SABR-M uses digital integrated beamforming technology to both improve GPS signal reception and counter hostile jamming. Additionally, the SABR-M is field programmable, allowing for easy “on the fly” updates. Despite the added functionality and performance, the SABR-M retains the same form factor as previous generations of SABR receivers, which have seen use across a variety of platforms, ranging from low-cost precision weapon systems to long-range cruise strike missiles

BAE Systems says the SABR-M will be fully qualified for production by the end of 2022, with the receiver already having demonstrated “exceptional” performance in integrated weapons tests. SABR-M receivers are to be built at BAE Systems’ dedicated facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The 278,000-square-foot factory and research center is now in the final stages of construction, and once completed will be home to 700 military GPS experts in BAE Systems’ Navigation and Sensor Systems business.