The U.S. Army’s artillery is set to receive a new round of upgrades that will allow artillerymen to conduct precision fire missions without the use of GPS. The Army working to head off the day when enemies could jam the worldwide satellite-based navigation network, degrading the service’s ability to operate on modern battlefields.
Back in the 1980s, few if any understood the impact the upcoming Global Positioning System would have on the U.S. military. Originally designed to give U.S. forces the ability to orient themselves on and navigate across far-flung battlefields, GPS and the miniaturization of electronics quickly led to GPS-guided weapons. From bombs to artillery shells, GPS allows for a single munition to do the work of multiple munitions. ...continued ...