Austin based TERN announced it has secured an $11.26 million contract with the U.S. Army to deploy its Independently Derived Positioning System and Vehicle Health and Maintenance System. The award is one of the largest publicly announced Army investments in artificial intelligence based alternative positioning and vehicle health technologies. It signals a significant step toward reducing military dependence on GPS signals that can be jammed or spoofed.
Contract Scope and Core Capabilities
TERN's IDPS continuously derives and maintains vehicle position without reliance on GPS or other radio frequency signals. This capability delivers assured positioning and navigation to vehicle operators and command and control systems. The VHMS monitors vehicle health and readiness and integrates that data with location to provide commanders a unified operational view of fleet status.
Addressing Modern Electronic Warfare
Recent conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have exposed the operational impact of GPS interference, spoofing, denial, and electronic warfare. These disruptions affect maneuver, logistics, autonomous systems, and command coordination across military operations. TERN frames the space between a vehicle and orbiting satellites as a vulnerability that its onboard approach can remove.
Leadership Perspective
Brett Harrison, president and co-founder of TERN, said the company fundamentally changes the equation by enabling vehicles to derive their own position from within. He noted that instead of relying on an external signal, TERN delivers an intelligent positioning process that operates at the edge. This approach expands what military vehicles are capable of doing in contested environments.
From Innovation Pathway to Deployment
The contract follows TERN's progression through U.S. Army innovation pathways, including selection for Army xTechOverWatch from more than 600 companies. The company secured a Direct-to-Phase II SBIR after live soldier evaluation, then a Phase III SBIR from Army FUZE and the Technology Maturation Initiative. This path moved TERN from Army innovation to operational deployment in less than a year.
Commercial and Autonomous Applications
The capabilities supporting military mobility are increasingly relevant as unmanned ground vehicles, robotic logistics, and autonomous systems advance. As vehicles assume more responsibility for navigation and mission execution, continuous position and readiness awareness becomes a foundational layer. TERN is expanding its technology across automotive, commercial fleets, logistics, robotics, and intelligent mobility.
Executive Outlook
CEO and co-founder Shaun Moore said the award demonstrates what is possible when soldiers, acquisition leaders, and emerging technology companies have a clear path from operational experimentation to scaled fielding. He added that military vehicles have long depended on external systems to know where they are and whether they are ready. The next generation, he said, will continuously derive position and readiness and provide trusted information in any environment.
Validation Beyond Defense
TERN's technology has been tested by the U.S. Department of Transportation and recognized by TIME as one of the Best Inventions. The company sees growing demand for software-defined vehicle capabilities across government and commercial markets. The same onboard positioning approach could support commercial fleets and autonomous vehicles operating in GPS-denied or unreliable conditions.
The $11.26 million U.S. Army contract positions TERN as an emerging provider of resilient positioning and vehicle readiness technology amid rising electronic warfare concerns. By moving navigation from external satellite dependence to onboard derivation, the company aims to support both military and commercial mobility. The award reflects a broader shift toward intelligent vehicle systems that can operate with greater autonomy and reliability.