The Australian government has approved a project to upgrade its military's global positioning system capability and its protection against jamming.

The project, which has a cost of about $27.9 million, was announced this week by Minister for Defense David Johnston.

"The government recognizes that to ensure the ADF (Australian Defense Force) remains viable and robust, we need to invest in force protection, counter-measures, protective security, system redundancy, lower signatures and stealth for our capabilities and systems," he said.

"This project will strengthen the ADF's ability to operate in a GPS-denied environment and will increase the operational capability and safety of Australian service personnel."

Noting that the jamming of GPS signals is easier today because of easier production of jamming equipment, he said Australia's effort will enhance GPS systems on a range of platforms through the use of protective systems or navigational redundancy capabilities.

Upgrades to GPS/navigational capabilities will be performed on platforms such as Collins-class submarines, hydrographic survey ships and mine-hunter coastal ships. Enhancement kits will also be provided for ground-based air defense systems.