Rockwell Collins [COL] last week announced it has received a $450 million follow-on contract to provide Defense Advanced Global Positioning System Receivers (DAGR) to the Air Force GPS Wing.

The contract calls for Rockwell Collins to provide these handheld GPS position and navigation receivers through 2016.

“This contract ensures that we can continue to deliver best-value GPS receivers to the warfighter without a break in production,” Bruce King, vice president and general manager of Surface Solutions for Rockwell Collins, said in a statement. “The DAGR’s ruggedness and situational awareness capabilities are battled-tested and have been proven to save lives and increase mission effectiveness.”

The DAGR design incorporates anti-jam improvements and denied GPS capabilities for worldwide enhanced battlefield protection and is the first U.S. handheld GPS receiver program to receive the next-generation security device, the Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module.

Rockwell Collins has delivered more than 290,000 DAGR units and more than 1.5 million accessories since the company was selected by the Air Force for full-rate production in 2003.

This latest award brings the total value of the DAGR contracts to $1.15 billion.

Primarily used by the Army, the DAGR is considered the handheld GPS receiver standard for position, navigation and situational awareness used to address both the soldier and other system installation needs.

Mission planning enhancements have been added to the DAGR, increasing soldier productivity and increasing overall mission effectiveness.

The receiver provides precise timing to synchronize tactical radios, missile platforms and other situation awareness navigation systems for the digital battlespace and includes a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that greatly provides ease of use while enhancing the soldier’s effectiveness and safety.