The BAE Systems Digital GPS Anti-jam Receiver (DIGAR) has been selected to continue into the next phase of the Phase 4 Enhancements (P4E) programme on the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, the company announced on 16 November 2023.
DIGAR will boost the protection of the aircraft from GPS signal jamming, spoofing, and radio frequency (RF) interference, allowing pilots to execute their missions in the most heavily contested RF environments.
DIGAR uses advanced antenna electronics, high-performance signal processing, and digital beamforming for significantly improved GPS signal reception and superior jamming immunity. These capabilities considerably increase the level of GPS jamming protection and are critical for combat aircraft as they manoeuvre through a contested battlespace.
The Typhoon will also receive BAE Systems’ new GEMVII-6 airborne digital GPS receiver, which, when coupled with the DIGAR antenna electronics unit, enables the platform to conduct high-capability digital beamforming anti-jamming.
As part of the four-nation Eurofighter consortium behind the Typhoon, BAE Systems continues to invest in the aircraft to maintain its cutting-edge military capability.
The capabilities provided by DIGAR and GEMVII come from work conducted out of BAE Systems’ facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where the company has invested in a state-of-the-art 278,000 ft2 engineering and production centre. The US Air Force’s F-16 and F-15 fighters, along with special-mission aircraft (such as air interdiction and force protection platforms; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft; and unmanned aerial vehicles), already have DIGAR installed. However, the Typhoon will be the first aircraft beyond the US inventory to receive a DIGAR upgrade.
“Modern fighters require accurate positioning and navigation data for mission success in GPS contested environments,” Luke Bishop, director of Navigation and Sensor Systems at BAE Systems, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “Our DIGAR antenna electronics and GEM VII GPS receivers are trusted to protect these vital platforms in GPS-challenged environments to support mission success.”
