The recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) regarding the allocation of contracts to nine vendors specializing in complementary positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) technologies is a significant development. These contracts have been established with the purpose of enhancing the security and reliability of the Global Positioning System (GPS), which is an essential component for various modes of transportation and critical across diverse sectors such as surveying, finance, machine control, precision agriculture, science missions, and space applications. It is important to note that the susceptibility of GPS to potential disruptions due to its reliance on satellite signals from medium Earth orbit accentuates the importance of this initiative.
The contracts, valued at over $7.2 million, will facilitate the funding of the instrumentation, testing, and evaluation of Complementary PNT technologies at different field test ranges. This undertaking, overseen by the Volpe Center in response to the DOT Complementary PNT Action Plan, aims to encourage the adoption of these technologies to bolster PNT resiliency.
Dr. Robert C. Hampshire, the Chief Science Officer of the DOT, has conveyed his satisfaction with the high quality of the proposal responses and has affirmed the department’s intention to promptly issue a Complementary PNT Rapid Phase II solicitation to further extend the assessment of these technologies.
The vendors who have been selected and the amounts of their awards are as follows:
– NAL Research, Virginia – $144,599
– Parsons, Virginia – $132,416
– Hoptroff, Inc., California – $934,076
– Microchip, Colorado – $1,498,692
– Safran, New York – $245,300
– Locata, New York – $778,630
– NextNav, California – $1,876,968
– Carahsoft, Virginia – $1,556,247.50
– TERN AI, Texas – $51,780
This particular initiative aims to address the escalating problem of jamming and spoofing of Global Navigation Satellite Services, particularly GPS, which is prevalent in conflict zones and poses significant safety and security risks to critical infrastructure in the United States. Fortifying PNT resiliency is imperative for the successful enactment of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and these awards are an integral part of the administration’s broader endeavours to enhance cybersecurity and reliability of critical infrastructure.
In summary, the contracts established by the U.S. DOT with these vendors signify a significant advancement in reinforcing the security and dependability of GPS through the adoption and assessment of innovative complementary PNT technologies. These efforts are essential for safeguarding critical infrastructure and ensuring the resilience of the nation’s positioning, navigation, and timing systems.