TERN today announced it has been awarded an $11.26 million contract with the U.S. Army to deploy its Independently Derived Positioning System (IDPS™) and Vehicle Health & Maintenance System (VHMS).

IDPS™ continuously derives and maintains vehicle position without reliance on GPS or other RF signals, delivering assured positioning and navigation to both the vehicle operator and command-and-control systems. VHMS continuously monitors vehicle health and readiness, integrating that information with vehicle location to provide commanders with a unified operational view of fleet status across existing command environments.

Recent conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have demonstrated both the prevalence and operational impact of GPS/GNSS interference, spoofing, denial, and electronic warfare. These challenges affect the full scope of military operations, including maneuver, logistics, autonomous systems, and command coordination.

“All of the space between a vehicle and the satellites orbiting Earth represents an opportunity to disrupt or degrade the GPS signal,” said Brett Harrison, president and co-founder of TERN. “TERN fundamentally changes that equation by enabling vehicles to derive their own position from within. Rather than relying on an external signal, we are delivering the Army an intelligent positioning process that operates at the edge, fundamentally expanding what the vehicle is capable of doing.”

The same capabilities supporting military mobility are becoming increasingly relevant as unmanned ground vehicles, robotic logistics, autonomous systems, and AI-enabled operations continue to advance. As vehicles assume greater responsibility for navigation, maneuver, and mission execution, continuously understanding position and readiness becomes a foundational layer for the intelligent systems built on top of them.

The currently awarded contract follows TERN’s progression through the U.S. Army’s innovation pathways. TERN was previously selected to participate in Army xTechOverWatch from more than 600 companies, securing a Direct-to-Phase II SBIR following live Soldier evaluation. Building upon the successful efforts of the Direct-to-Phase II SBIR, TERN was awarded a Phase III SBIR award from Army FUZE and the Technology Maturation Initiative, progressing from Army innovation into operational deployment in less than a year.

“This award demonstrates what is possible when soldiers, acquisition leaders, and emerging technology companies have a clear path from operational experimentation to scaled fielding,” said Shaun Moore, CEO and co-founder of TERN. “For decades, military vehicles have depended on external systems to know where they are and whether they are ready for the mission. We believe the next generation of military vehicles will continuously derive their own position and readiness, providing trusted information to both operators and commanders regardless of the environment. That’s the future this technology deployment begins to establish.”

The capabilities being deployed for the Army increasingly have applications beyond defense. TERN is expanding its technology across automotive, commercial fleets, logistics, robotics, and intelligent mobility. The company’s technology has been tested by the U.S. Department of Transportation and recognized by TIME as one of the Best Inventions reflecting growing demand for software-defined vehicle capabilities across both government and commercial markets.

ABOUT TERN:

TERN is building an intelligent positioning architecture for mobility, autonomy and defense. TERN’s Independently Derived Positioning System (IDPS™) makes position an onboard, vehicle-derived capability, supporting continuous positioning and routing on-road, off-road and through complex terrain in fully GNSS-denied environments. IDPS™ can operate independently or incorporate trusted PNT inputs to deliver the highest-confidence position available to warfighters. Across wheeled and tracked vehicles, UGVs and robotic platforms, the broader TERN platform connects positioning with vehicle health, readiness and two-way command integration. TERN is a U.S. Army xTech Overwatch winner and is tested by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Defense and NATO.

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