Rockwell Collins is the first company to receive production approval for a device developed to increase the security of military global positioning system (GPS) receivers.
The US Department of Defense (DoD) has mandated that the selective availability anti-spoofing module (SAASM) be installed in all GPS receivers delivered after 1 October, 2002.
The SAASM improves security by allowing use of unclassified "black" keys to decode the GPS precise positioning signals. Current receivers use "red" classified keys.
While the distribution of paper-tape red keys is strictly controlled and "very expensive", black keys can be distributed electronically "and quickly", says Alan Caslavka, director of navigation systems programme management at Rockwell Collins Government Systems.
The SAASM also incorporates a tamper-resistant coating to safeguard military GPS data. Caslavka says it took several attempts to produce a coating "that lasted long enough without degradation".
Source: Flight International