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Military
Uses of GPS
Although the GPS satellite constellation was completed only recently, it has already proved to be a most valuable aid to U.S. military forces. Picture the desert, with its wide, featureless expanses of sand. The terrain looks much the same for miles. Without a reliable navigation system, U.S. forces could not have performed the maneuvers of Operation Desert Storm. With GPS, the soldiers were able to go places and maneuver in sandstorms or at night when even the troops who lived there couldn't. Initially, more than 1,000 portable commercial receivers were purchased for their use. The demand was so great that, before the end of the conflict, more than 9,000 commercial receivers were in use in the Gulf region. They were carried by foot soldiers and attached to vehicles, helicopters, and aircraft instrument panels. GPS receivers were used in several aircraft, including F-16 fighters, KC-135 aerial refuelers, and B-2 bombers; Navy ships used them for rendezvous, minesweeping, and aircraft operations.
GPS has become important for nearly all military operations and weapons systems. In addition, it is used on satellites to obtain highly accurate orbit data and to control spacecraft orientation.
GPS is based on a system of coordinates called the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84), similar to the latitude and longitude lines you see on wall maps in school. The WGS 84 system provides a built-in frame of reference for all military activities, so units can synchronize their maneuvers.
More than 9,000 GPS receivers were used by U.S. and coalition forces during Operation Desert Storm.
* GPS Global Waypoint
Registry a trademark of Waypoint Technologies
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