Rockwell Collins has introduced the Polaris family of Standard Positioning Service (SPS) Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers for the commercial market. Polaris offers the same functionality and ruggedness featured in Rockwell Collins’ popular Defense Advanced GPS Receiver (DAGR) and Miniature Precision Lightweight GPS Receiver Engine (MPE), but without the Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM).
The Polaris Guide, a handheld receiver, and Polaris Link, an embeddable card, will be available for use in any federal, civilian, Department of Defense or international platforms requiring SPS real-time GPS data. Both products incorporate Rockwell Collins’ 12-channel All-in-View SPS Course Acquisition (C/A) code module and will be available to both military and non-military customers, as well as NATO and non-NATO countries. In addition, the Polaris Explosive Resistant GPS is available to these same entities and is designed for vehicle and ship applications requiring the ruggedness to resist mine or Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonations, thereby improving crew survivability.
In supporting the Department of Homeland Security missions, the Polaris family of GPS receivers can be used to patrol borders and monitor seaports, lakes and rivers. The receivers can also be used to assist in disaster response and search and rescue operations.
The Polaris Guide GPS receiver provides guidance capabilities for vehicular, handheld and sensor applications. This commercial product is a rugged, small, lightweight receiver with an easy-to-use graphical user interface that includes moving maps. Its proven design also passes the more stringent environmental, serial port and software testing required by ruggedized receivers. The Polaris Link supports applications that require a ruggedized GPS capability, ranging from command and control systems to handheld computers and other platforms.
This family of commercial GPS receivers is completely interchangeable with the Rockwell Collins DAGR (SAASM), MPE-S (SAASM) receiver and the standard embedded Ground-Based GPS Receiver Application Module (GB-GRAM) developed for the U.S. Army, with the exception of Precise Positioning Service (PPS) functions. As a result, these commercial receivers provide the designers of host application equipment and systems with an SPS version of their PPS products without the cost of a full redesign or re-qualification
Source: Rockwell Collins