Raytheon, an RTX business, was awarded a $206.2 million Navy contract on April 28, 2026 to integrate M-Code GPS into the AN/USN-3(V)1 Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (JPALS) — the system that brings carrier-based aircraft down on the deck in zero-visibility weather. NAVAIR is the contracting activity. Coverage from GovCon Wire.
The deliverables
Per the award notice, scope includes design, engineering, integration, testing, verification and validation, plus four engineering development models. Performance through April 2030. Locations: Fullerton, California (60% of work) and Cedar Rapids, Iowa (40%). $11.5M of FY2026 RDT&E was obligated at award; the contract type is cost-plus-incentive-fee.
Why M-Code matters
M-Code is the modernized, jam-resistant military GPS signal. Backing JPALS with M-Code reduces the risk that an adversary GPS jammer could break a recovery cycle on a carrier or amphib — a real-world concern after recent Red Sea and Eastern Mediterranean spoofing incidents.
Subcontract footprint
- Cedar Rapids, IA work pulls Collins Aerospace (RTX-sister) suppliers in avionics integration
- Fullerton work routes through Raytheon's GPS-anti-jam ecosystem; specialty antenna and waveform firms should engage early
- Four EDMs through 2030 means a long ramp before LRIP — engineering-services subs get the first bite