US Space Force logs another cost increase for Raytheon’s next-generation GPS ground station

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force can pay $378 million to switch the pc {hardware} in Raytheon’s troubled Operational Control System after the unique supplier was bought to a Chinese firm.The program, often known as OCX, was initially going to make use of {hardware} from the IBM x86 product line within the constructing of next-generation GPS ground stations, the Space and Missile Systems Center stated in a Friday information launch. However, that product line is being bought to Chinese-owned Lenovo in August 2022 — a purchase order accepted in 2014 by the Committee on Foreign Investment within the United States, the U.S. authorities group that opinions worldwide funding in American firms.The Air Force already carried out work to determine the substitute for the IBM {hardware}. In 2017, it began a {hardware} commerce examine with U.S. distributors, deciding on Hewlett Packard Enterprise for a pilot program that known as for the corporate to switch {hardware} in 17 exterior monitoring stations and 4 ground antenna websites, in line with Space and Missile Systems Center.However, SMC stated it selected to attend on funding new {hardware} till now in order that it might concentrate on OCX’s different technical points — despite the fact that the middle additionally acknowledged that the transfer would result in schedule delays.RELATED“At the time of the sale, the federal government recognized [the sale] as a significant affect to OCX by creating an unacceptable cyber threat,” SMC famous. However, the Air Force waited to execute the {hardware} substitute due to ongoing software program growth points, which led to spiraling cost overruns and a Nunn McCurdy breach in 2016.The service finally determined towards canceling this system and moved ahead with a plan to develop OCX software program utilizing extra agile DevOps methodologies. Raytheon competed the software program for this system final 12 months, stated SMC Commander Lt. Gen. Thompson.“As Raytheon continues to trace to their contractual commitments, addressing the unsupportable IBM cyber safety threat is prudent to do pre-system supply to the federal government,” stated Lt. Col. Thomas Gabriele, SMC’s OCX materiel chief. “Although this government-directed change will affect the Raytheon schedule, the federal government is holding Raytheon accountable to ship certified software program previous to integrating on the HPE platform and deploying to operational websites.”SMC didn’t disclose precisely how the schedule could be impacted.In its information launch, SMC described some “benefits” to altering the present contract, akin to having the ability to discipline newer, extra extremely performing {hardware} instead of the decade-old IBM wares. Executing the repair now can even get rid of $150 million in rework and retesting, stated Barbara Baker, SMC’s Command and Control Division’s senior materiel chief.About Valerie InsinnaValerie Insinna is Defense News’ air warfare reporter. She beforehand labored the Navy/congressional beats for Defense Daily, which adopted virtually three years as a employees author for National Defense Magazine. Prior to that, she labored as an editorial assistant for the Tokyo Shimbun’s Washington bureau.

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