The decision comes as the Pentagon winds down the OCX program, which Raytheon secured in 2010 amid years of delays and cost overruns.

The U.S. Space Force has awarded Lockheed Martin a $105 million contract to support GPS ground control operations for the next generation of satellites through March 2030, using the existing Architecture Evolution Plan (AEP) system instead of the OCX pipeline.

This contract confirms Lockheed Martin’s return to a leading role in GPS ground infrastructure, operating under the AEP ground system rather than deploying OCX for GPS IIIF operations.

OCX was intended to replace the legacy system with advanced features for jam-resistant signals and GPS III compatibility, but ongoing software, integration, and cybersecurity issues kept it from becoming operational for years.

Reliable GPS timing underpins critical civilian infrastructure, including financial systems, power grids, and air traffic control, making dependable ground control operations essential.

GAO concerns about OCX delays and risks to the GPS enterprise helped drive a pragmatic shift to upgrading and relying on AEP rather than completing OCX.

Analysts view the move as practical: reliability wins over ambition, with Lockheed Martin reclaiming leadership in GPS ground operations while OCX’s future remains uncertain.

The shift reflects procurement incentives: once a large program falters, there’s a tendency to extend and repurpose existing, working infrastructure instead of fully retiring or restarting the ambitious project.

OCX is being phased out while AEP, with incremental upgrades, takes over functions originally slated for OCX, ensuring continued operation with newer GPS III satellites.

Separately, Raytheon received a $45 million OCX Block 0 modification to support the final GPS III launch and to explore integrating OCX components into AEP as part of the broader reassessment of the GPS ground-system.

Lockheed Martin’s leadership in GPS ground operations is reaffirmed, while RTX obtains a smaller role through OCX Block 0 integration and assessment of OCX components within AEP.

OCX, built by RTX, has become an $8 billion-plus program that remains nonoperational despite delivery in mid-2025, with costs surpassing $7.6 billion and projections over $8 billion.