Raytheon Co. [RTN] acquired and tracked a new M-code military signal transmitted by a global positioning satellite, the company announced.

Part of the Modernized User Equipment program,

The latest-generation global positioning system satellite, GPS Block IIR-14(M), had been operating with legacy signals since December.

The bird only recently began test broadcast of the new M-code. The code provides enhanced accuracy, encryption and anti-jamming capability for authorized users

“This initial success demonstrating the ability of our next-generation receivers to track the new modernized GPS signal is a key step forward for our modern user equipment program,” said Dr. Ralph Garcia, director of GPS and navigation systems for the Raytheon unit Space and Airborne Systems.

“It also marks a significant milestone for the government-industry GPS team by demonstrating synchronized user equipment, satellite, and control system interoperablility, which is critical for our customer’s operations in the future.”

A Raytheon prototype receiver, produced under the research and development agreement of the program, was used to track the new signal from the GPS Block IIR-14(M) satellite.

“The successful receiver operation with a live M-code satellite inspires confidence that our design is sound and validates our simulation environment,” said Phil Kelton, who manages the modern user equipment program.

“These will be critical tools as we progress toward a production-ready product. The next phase of the program will benefit from breakthroughs in microelectronics technology, coupled with advanced security solutions to permit higher performance and greater integrity at less cost than today’s systems.”

Raytheon teammates on the program are General Dynamics Corp. [GD] and Trimble Navigation Limited.

The Global Positioning Systems Wing of the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center awarded Raytheon a $38 million contract in June to develop a receiver card for the program.

The team is developing next-generation circuit card technology, which will enable military users to connect with new navigation signals from enhanced global positioning satellites while retaining compatibility with the current constellation and legacy signals.