SoylentNews

fork(2) [soylentnews.org] writes:

      The OCX program is the Air Force's "Operational Control Segment," a next-generation ground system to control GPS satellites. Yesterday (Jun 30), SpaceNews reported that the OCX program is in trouble financially..to the point that it will trip the Nunn-McCurdy [wikipedia.org] trigger.

      From the SpaceNews article [spacenews.com]:

Nunn-McCurdy certification is a cost-control measure triggered by overruns. A "critical" breach occurs when the per-unit cost increases 25 percent or more over the current baseline or 50 percent over the original baseline. Under critical breaches, a program is presumed to be cancelled unless the Secretary of Defense certifies the program.

      Unless the Secretary of Defense determines otherwise, this sets the stage for cancellation of the OCX program.

[...]the program has faced continuing technical difficulties and the delays have been a sore point for Air Force leaders, who say that because of the lag they will be unable to immediately leverage the full capabilities of the GPS 3 satellites, which include better accuracy and higher-power signals. The delay has also frustrated lawmakers, chiefly Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

      At the same time, the program has been described by Air Force leaders as the most troubled development effort in the Defense Department.

      [...]

      The full OCX program, which encompassed three blocks, and includes further modernization, is not expected to be completed sooner than 2021. Block 0 includes launch and on-oribt check out capabilities. Block 1 provides command and control of the GPS 3 and earlier generation satellites and Block 2 provide operational control of the new international civil signal aboard the GPS 3 satellites.

      "Factors that led to the critical Nunn-McCurdy breach include inadequate systems engineering at program inception, Block 0 software with high defect rates and Block 1 designs requiring significant rework. Additionally, the complexity of cybersecurity requirements on OCX and impact of those requirements on the development caused multiple delays," the Air Force said in a June 30 release. "The corrective actions to resolve these problems took much longer than anticipated to implement."

      As a result of the problems, the Air Force said in a June 30 press release that Raytheon has received none of the potential $43.9 million incentive fee payments. Remaining incentives fees are being restructures, the service said.

      For months, Air Force leaders have stressed they are preparing contingency plans.

      In February, the Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin a $96 million contract modification to adapt the existing ground system to serve as a stopgap measure if necessary. The first GPS 3 satellite is expected to launch as early as next year.

      In May, the Air Force posted a request for information to the Federal Business Opportunities web site looking for prime contractors who could handle another capability: the tasking and monitoring of the GPS satellites' M-code, a military GPS signal that is more powerful and harder to jam.

      The Air Force said June 30 is it preparing "additional mitigation options."

Original Submission