GPS: Modern Military Marvels and More

1. GPS: Modern Military Marvels and More Meka Asonye

2. Origins of GPS • First idea came after the launch of Russian Satellite Sputnik • Two Scientists At JHU realized they could pinpoint the location of the satellite by analyzing the Doppler shift of its radio signals during a single pass. • Frank McClure, then chairman of APL's Research Center, went a step further by suggesting that if the satellite's position were known and predictable, the Doppler shift could be used to locate a receiver on Earth; in other words, one could navigate by satellite. http://hurlbut.jhuapl.edu/Transit/index.html

3. Transit • After the JHU’s scientists discoveries, the US navy began research for a system known as transit in 1958. • The first prototype satellite was launched in September 1959, and the system entered Naval service in 1964.The system provided passive, accurate, reliable, all-weather global navigation for Navy submarines and surface ships http://hurlbut.jhuapl.edu/Transit/index.html

4. Transit’s Importance • Provided crucial navigation to Submarines that needed to stay submerged. • Submarines use periscopes to navigate but these did not provide the necessary accuracy to guide the vessels to their targets. • More importantly, Transit was used by US submarines carrying Polaris Nuclear Missiles. http://hurlbut.jhuapl.edu/Transit/index.html

5. Transit • The Transit constellation consisted of two types of satellites designated as Oscar and Nova. The final constellation consisted of six satellites (all Oscars) in a polar orbit, three ground control stations, and receivers. Of the six satellites, three Oscars provided navigation service while three other Oscars were "stored-in-orbit" spares. http://hurlbut.jhuapl.edu/Transit/index.html

6. Transit’s Satellites NOVA OSCAR

7. Transit - East Coast, West Coast, Worldwide! • Popularity of the system grows as system is opened up to commercial used. • Transit eventually boosts tens of thousands of users – military and civilian. • Transit proved essential for the recovery at sea of early manned space vehicles, and it became the standard for precision land surveying and the locations of platforms at sea

8. Transit – A step in the right direction • Although Transits’ use began to die out, it was not retired until 1996, an astonishing 32 years of use. • More importantly, systems such as Transit, led to the development of our current GPS constellation.

9. Modern GPS • Military developed constellation of 27 satellites. • Our modern GPS primary purpose is to serve the military although, civilian users now outnumber military users.

10. GPS Satellites Each of these 3,000- to 4,000-pound solar-powered satellites circles the globe at about 12,000 miles (19,300 km), making two complete rotations every day. The orbits are arranged so that at any time, anywhere on Earth, there are at least four satellites "visible" in the sky.

11. Military GPS Applications • Cruise Missiles, Artillery, bombs, etc. • Star Wars Defense • Submarine Navigation • In the news: Captain Scott O ‘ Grady • Combating Terrorism

12. Cruise Missiles • Cruise missile is a generic term for self-propelled guided weapons which fly like normal aircraft for much of their flight. • Almost all cruise missiles now are outfitted with GPS for navigation. • Pentagon’s favorite little toy.

13. Tomahawks in Action

14. Tomahawk layout • LENGTH: 5.56 meters (18ft) • WEIGHT: 1,300kg (aprox 2,200 lbs) • WING SPAN: 2.67 meters (nearly 9ft) • RANGE: 1,600km • SPEED: 880km/h (550mph) • 1. Infrared imagery sensor 2. "DSMAC" guidance system 3. Data/Communications link4. 1,000lb conventional warhead5. "DSMAC" illuminator6. Fuel cell7. "TERCOM" terrain matching system8. Turbojet subsonic engine Source: BBC

15. Tomahawk – Just how do they work? 1 • Stage 1: Launch • Paul Revere would be proud  • 1 if by Land • 2 if by Sea • 3 if by Air 2 3

16. Tomahawk – GPS’ Job • Cruise missiles receive an initial thrust from a detachable booster before onboard systems take over. Once airborne, it releases its wings and switches on navigational and communication systems. • The missile is guided at this early stage by GPS and onboard calculations based on its movements since launch.

17. Tomahawk – TERCOM • TERCOM – Terrain Contour Matching • Tomahawk missiles carries a 3-D map of its route. • In theory, TERCOM allows cruise missiles to avoid detection.

18. Tomahawk - DSMAC • DSMAC – Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation • Basically a search and destroy system • Only as good as the intelligence that the system is based on • Most accurate of all guidance systems used in cruise missiles

19. Tomahawk – Final Destination • US military claims missiles are 90% accurate. • 1,000lb warhead detonates

20. Tomahawk – GPS’ role • This technology would be impossible without the use of GPS guiding the missile from its launch point to targets sometimes over 1000 miles away • The continuing advancement in GPS and other related technologies has dramatically decreased the cost of a standard cruise missile.

21. Tomahawk – Future Outlook • Improved Target recognition and improved efficiency with missiles • Missile re-routing • Send live images back to base

22. GPS and other military uses • US army is developing artillery shells that would have GPS guidance. • Pentagon allocated new resources to Excalibur artillery shells • Compared to current 155- millimeter shells, which typically land more than 370 yards from their target, Excalibur shells could hit within 10 yards of their targets and have a much greater range (more than 35 miles).

23. Star Wars Defense System • Idea has been around since the 80’s • Basically, it would be a system that would protect the US and its allies from missile attacks by shooting missiles down before they reached US airspace. • Based off of GPS technology

24. Scandal hits • According to the press reports at the time, "An interceptor rocket launched from a remote Pacific atoll managed to hit a mock nuclear warhead launched from California, nearly 240km above the Pacific Ocean. It was the first test of the "hit-to-kill" system since George W Bush took office, and the first of a total of four tests reported to have been wholly successful. (The test missile) managed to disregard the decoy that the Minuteman was carrying and smash into its intended target. "We believe we have a successful test in all aspects the kill intercept was confirmed by all of our sensors," said Lt General Ronald Kadish, speaking at the Pentagon."

25. Scandal – (cont.) • A successful test of the system was vital for the political fortunes of the administration. "Missile defence has been brought into sharp focus by a test planned for Saturday - the first since Mr Bush took office. Previous tests had ended in failure. A US arms control expert said Saturday's test would prove critical to Mr Bush • The test had been designed to be as easy as possible. If Saturday's test is not successful, Democrats will have a powerful position from which to fight the Pentagon's request for a 57% increase in the program's budget."

26. Shame on you, Mr. Bush • Dummy nuke that was shot down was shown to have a GPS receiver attached to it. • In my opinion the Star Wars system is a waste of the 9 billion dollars it is allotted every year for research.

27. GPS – The Life Saver • June 6, 1995 – Captain Scott O Grady shot down behind enemy lines in Bosnia • O’ Grady’s survival pack contained a GPS receiver.

28. GPS and Hollywood

29. Combating Terrorism • 9/11 revisited • The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is working on two GPS-based systems that would protect from hijackers

30. THE END