This bill directs the Air Force to test a new satellite-based positioning and timing system that works independently from GPS. Right now, the U.S. military and civilians rely heavily on GPS for navigation, but GPS signals can be jammed or disrupted. This bill asks the Air Force to work with private companies to build and demonstrate an alternative system using satellites in low Earth orbit—much closer to Earth than traditional GPS satellites.

The new system needs to meet specific requirements: it should work even if GPS goes down, be compatible with existing GPS receivers without requiring people to buy new equipment, resist jamming and spoofing attacks better than GPS, provide extremely precise timing and location data (accurate to less than 10 nanoseconds and 30 centimeters), and be able to quickly restore service if satellites are damaged or destroyed. Companies interested in this project must be U.S.-based and already working on satellite positioning services.

The Air Force will evaluate companies based on their business plans, technology readiness, ability to manufacture satellites quickly, and FCC approval status. Once a company successfully demonstrates the system within 18 months, the Air Force plans to award a follow-up contract to move toward actual deployment. The goal is to give the military and potentially civilians a backup positioning system that's more resilient and harder to disable than GPS alone.