The US Army has awarded TERN an $11.26-million contract to deploy a system that allows military vehicles determine their position without relying on GPS or other radio-frequency signals.
The contract covers TERN’s Independently Derived Positioning System (IDPS) and its Vehicle Health & Maintenance System (VHMS). The two systems are designed to give vehicle crews and commanders information on vehicle location and operational readiness.
IDPS continuously derives a vehicle’s position onboard, allowing it to maintain navigation in environments where GPS or other signals are unavailable or disrupted. VHMS monitors vehicle health and readiness and combines that information with location data for a broader view of fleet status.
“We believe the next generation of military vehicles will continuously derive their own position and readiness, providing trusted information to both operators and commanders regardless of the environment,” TERN CEO Shaun Moore said.
The contract follows the company’s participation in the army’s xTechOverwatch program, where its IDPS technology was selected among the competition’s winners. It lists TERN’s IDPS as a capability for ground combat vehicles and edge computing.
GPS-Independent Navigation
GPS interference has become a growing concern for military forces operating in contested environments. Jamming can block navigation signals, while spoofing can feed a system false location data.
The US Army has been developing and fielding technologies designed to keep vehicles and soldiers supplied with reliable positioning, navigation, and timing information when GPS is degraded or denied.
In July, the US Air Force took over two military GPS receiver modernization programs from the US Space Force to accelerate delivery of more resilient navigation systems.
The same month, the service also awarded Pacific Defense a contract to develop and test an upgraded Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing plug-in card for its CMOSS Mounted Form Factor program.
Earlier, in October 2025, the army began fielding MAPS GEN II, a vehicle navigation system designed to maintain positioning and timing in GPS-degraded or denied environments.
