Pentagon weighing termination of Raytheon GPS ground control contract after years of delays
The Pentagon is preparing to end or dramatically scale back RTX’s Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX) contract as the current option expires on 31 March. Senior defense officials are weighing a reduced RTX role and the possibility of folding OCX software into the upgraded Architecture Evolution Plan (AEP) legacy ground system. The Space Force accepted an initial, mission‑capable version of OCX in 2025, but persistent technical problems have kept the program under review for more than a decade.
Awarded by the U.S. Air Force in 2010, the OCX contract was originally valued at roughly $1.5 billion with a 2018 delivery target. The Government Accountability Office now estimates total spending at a minimum of $6 billion, and the schedule has slipped by more than seven years. Testing after the 2025 transition to government‑led oversight uncovered extensive issues across all sub‑systems, and the delivered software only supports launch and early‑orbit operations for GPS III satellites, lacking full command‑and‑control capability. A constellation‑transfer event slated for fiscal 2026 was intended to move control to OCX, yet the delay has also postponed fielding of the jam‑resistant M‑code signal for U.S. warfighters and allies. Further upgrades labeled OCX 3F, required for next‑generation GPS IIIF satellites, are not expected until fiscal 2027, with operational acceptance pushed to 2028. In parallel, the Air Force’s 2016 Lockheed Martin contract to modernize AEP has produced a system now capable of handling newer GPS III satellites, prompting officials to consider harvesting usable OCX components for integration into the AEP baseline rather than completing the full new system.
The OCX struggle has become a benchmark for large‑scale defense software procurements, drawing scrutiny from the House Armed Services Committee’s strategic forces subcommittee and prompting an upcoming GAO assessment. Acting Space Force acquisition executive Thomas Ainsworth cited systemic problems in both government and contractor performance, while Air Force Secretary Troy Meink acknowledged that the challenges have persisted for fifteen years. Any decision to narrow RTX’s contract will require approval from the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, the milestone decision authority for programs of OCX’s magnitude, and will shape the future architecture of U.S. GPS ground control.
