AN/SPY-6 explained

AN/SPY-6
Country:United States
Type:Air and missile defense active electronically scanned array 3D radar
Frequency:S band
Azimuth:0–360°
Elevation:Horizon–zenith
Other Names:
  • Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR)
  • Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR)

The AN/SPY-6 is an active electronically scanned array[1] 3D radar under development for the United States Navy (USN).[2] It will provide integrated air and missile defense for Flight III s.[3] Variants are under development for retrofitting Flight IIA Arleigh Burkes and for installation aboard s, s, s (LHA-8 and future), and s.

The first delivery of the AN/SPY-6 to the USN took place on 20 July 2020.[4]

Development

In October 2013, "Raytheon Company (RTN) [was] awarded an almost $386m cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase design, development, integration, test, and delivery of Air and Missile Defense S-band Radar (AMDR-S) and Radar Suite Controller (RSC)."[5] In September 2010, the Navy awarded technology development contracts to Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon to develop the S-band radar and radar suite controller (RSC). X-band radar development reportedly will come under separate contracts. The Navy hopes to place AMDR on Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, possibly beginning in 2016. Those ships currently mount the Aegis Combat System, produced by Lockheed Martin.[6]

In 2013, the Navy cut almost $10B from the cost of the program by adopting a smaller less capable system that will be challenged by "future threats".[7], the program is expected to deliver 22 radars at a total cost of almost $6.6B. They will cost $300m/unit in serial production.[8] Testing is planned for 2021 and Initial operating capability is planned for March 2023.

The Navy was forced to halt the contract in response to a challenge by Lockheed.[9] Lockheed officially withdrew their protest in January 2014,[10] allowing the Navy to lift the stop work order.[11]

In March 2022, Raytheon announced a $3.2B contract to outfit every new surface ship in the US Navy with the SPY-6 family of radars.[12] [13]

Technology

The SPY-6 system consists of two primary radars and a radar suite controller (RSC) to coordinate the sensors. An S-band radar is to provide volume search, tracking, ballistic missile defense discrimination, and missile communications, while the X-band radar is to provide horizon search, precision tracking, missile communication, and terminal illumination of targets.[6] The S-band and X-band sensors will also share functionality, including radar navigation, periscope detection, and missile guidance and communication. SPY-6 is intended as a scalable system, with each sensor array assembled from Radar Modular Assemblies (RMA), self-contained radar modules.[14]

The Arleigh Burke deckhouse can only accommodate a version, but the USN claims they need a radar of or more to meet future ballistic missile threats. This would require a new ship design. Ingalls has proposed the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock as the basis for a ballistic missile defense cruiser with 6.1 m (20 ft) SPY-6. To cut costs, the first 12 SPY-6 sets will have an X-band component based on the existing SPQ-9B rotating radar, to be replaced by a new X-band radar in set 13 that will be more capable against future threats.

The transmit-receive modules will use new gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor technology, allowing for a higher power density than the previous gallium arsenide radar modules.[15] The new radar will require twice the electrical power as the previous generation, while generating over 35 times as much radar power.[16]

Although it was not an initial requirement, the SPY-6 may be capable of performing electronic attacks using its AESA antenna. Airborne AESA radar systems, like the APG-77, APG-81, and APG-79 used on the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II, and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet/EA-18G Growler, respectively, have demonstrated their capability to conduct electronic attack. All the contenders for the Navy's Next Generation Jammer used Gallium Nitride-based (GaN) transmit-receiver modules for their EW systems, which enables the possibility that the high-power GaN-based AESA radar used on Flight III ships can perform the mission. Precise beam steering could attack air and surface threats with tightly directed beams of high-powered radio waves to electronically blind aircraft, ships, and missiles.[17]

The radar is 30 times more sensitive and can simultaneously handle over 30 times the targets of the existing AN/SPY-1D(V), allowing it to counter large and complex saturation attacks.[18]

Distributed sensing software allows AN/SPY-6 to form a network of bistatic radars, where forward-deployed sensors work in receive mode, while targets are illuminated by separate transmitters at the back.[19] [20]

Variants

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The US Navy -- Fact File: Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) . 2014-05-28 . 2014-05-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140529052754/http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=2100&tid=306&ct=2 . dead .
  2. Web site: AMDR Competition: The USA's Next Dual-Band Radar . 2010-10-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101013165643/http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/AMDR-Competition-The-USAs-Next-Dual-Band-Radar-05682/ . 13 October 2010 . live.
  3. Web site: Exhibit R-2A, RDT&E Project Justification: PB 2011 Navy . 2010-10-01 . 2010-03-15 . 2012-10-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121007040541/http://www.dtic.mil/descriptivesum/Y2011/Navy/0604501N_PB_2011.pdf . dead .
  4. News: US Navy takes delivery of new, more powerful radar . . 20 July 2020 . 20 July 2020 .
  5. Web site: Raytheon awarded US Navy next generation Air and Missile Defense Radar contract - Yahoo Finance . 2013-10-10 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131018171643/http://finance.yahoo.com/news/raytheon-awarded-us-navy-next-231900443.html . 2013-10-18 .
  6. Web site: New Radar Development Continues for U.S. Navy. 2011-04-01. Defense News. https://www.webcitation.org/6Ao6Ht5fb?url=http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4820730&c=AME&s=SEA. 2012-09-20. dead.
  7. Web site: "NavWeek: Radar Shove." . 2013-04-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140110224528/http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckBlogId=Blog:27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog:27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post:d46bef3f-532c-49fb-88ca-49dc05c512d0 . 2014-01-10 . dead .
  8. Web site: GAO-13-294SP DEFENSE ACQUISITIONS Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs . US Government Accountability Office . March 2013 . 26 May 2013 . 117–8.
  9. Web site: U.S. Navy orders Raytheon to halt radar work after protest . Shalal-Esa . Andrea . 23 October 2013 . www.reuters.com . Reuters . 23 October 2013.
  10. Web site: McCarthy . Mike . 10 January 2014 . Lockheed Martin Drops Protest On Award Of Navy's New Shipboard Radar . https://web.archive.org/web/20140116033010/http://www.defensedaily.com/lockheed-martin-drops-protest-on-award-of-navys-new-shipboard-radar/ . dead . 16 January 2014 . Defense Daily . Defense Daily Network . 25 November 2018.
  11. Web site: Lockheed Martin Drops Protest over Next Generation Destroyer Radar . LaGrone . Sam . 13 January 2014 . news.usni.org . US Naval Institute News . 25 November 2018.
  12. Web site: 31 March 2022 . Raytheon Missiles & Defense wins $651 million SPY-6 radar contract . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220402160210/https://www.raytheonmissilesanddefense.com/news/2022/03/16/spy6-hps-contract . 2 April 2022 . Raytheon Missiles & Defense.
  13. Web site: 31 March 2022 . Raytheon Missiles & Defense awarded $651 million to produce SPY-6 radars for next-gen US Navy ships . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220409165048/https://www.rtx.com/news/news-center/2022/03/31/raytheon-missiles-defense-awarded-651-million-to-produce-spy-6-radars-for-next . 9 April 2022 . Raytheon Technologies.
  14. Web site: U.S. Navy's SPY-6 Family of Radars . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220326050625/https://www.raytheonmissilesanddefense.com/what-we-do/missile-defense/sensors/spy6-radars . 26 March 2022 . 12 July 2022 . Raytheon Missiles & Defense.
  15. Web site: The Heart of the Navy's Next Destroyer. July 30, 2013.
  16. News: CIMSEC Interviews Captain Mark Vandroff, Program Manager DDG-51, Part 1 . Filipoff . Dmitry . 4 May 2016 . cimsec.org . CIMSEC . 5 May 2016.
  17. http://news.usni.org/2014/01/17/navys-next-generation-radar-future-electronic-attack-abilities Navy’s Next Generation Radar Could Have Future Electronic Attack Abilities
  18. Web site: Raytheon's next generation naval radar passes milestone. Tamir. Eshel. May 12, 2015.
  19. Web site: 4 November 2021 . Raytheon Missiles & Defense, Office of Naval Research test new distributed sensing software for SPY-6 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220522211440/https://www.raytheonmissilesanddefense.com/news/2021/11/04/rmd-office-naval-research . 22 May 2022 . Raytheon Missiles & Defense.
  20. Web site: 12 January 2022 . Q&A on Distributed Maritime Operations . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220522211440/https://www.raytheonmissilesanddefense.com/news/2022/01/12/qa-distributed-maritime-operations . 22 May 2022 . Raytheon Missiles & Defense.
  21. Web site: Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) . 2022-12-22 . www.navy.mil . en-US.
  22. Web site: Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) / AN/SPY-6 . 15 January 2023 . Missile Threat . en-US.
  23. Web site: SAS 2019 Day 2 - SPY-6, NSM for USMC, PGK, Freedom LCS & FFG(X), Navantia . YouTube . 2019-05-07 . 2021-11-20.
  24. Web site: Navy C4ISR and Unmanned Systems . https://web.archive.org/web/20160112032359/http://www.seapower-digital.com/seapower/january_2016?pg=93#pg93 . January 12, 2016 . Sea Power 2016 Almanac . . January 2016 . 91 . usurped . 16 October 2017.
  25. Web site: Raytheon Awarded $92M Navy Contract for Future Carrier Radars. August 22, 2016. USNI News.
  26. Tyler Rogoway. Behold The Navy’s New Radar For Nimitz Class Carriers And Amphibious Assault Ships. The War Zone (Aug 21, 2019)
  27. Web site: 2 August 2021 . Raytheon Missiles & Defense, US Navy complete testing on Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220622002535/https://www.raytheonmissilesanddefense.com/news/2021/08/02/rmd-us-navy-complete-testing-on . 22 June 2022 . Raytheon Missiles & Defense.
  28. Web site: SNA 2018: Contenders for the U.S. Navy FFG(X) Frigate Program . Vavasseur . Xavier . Navy Recognition . 18 January 2018 . 19 January 2018.
  29. David B. Larter. With an eye to China and Russia, the US Navy plans a lethal upgrade to its destroyers. DefenseNews (Mar 21, 2019)
  30. Justin Katz. Raytheon to start backfitting destroyers with SPY-6 radar. Breaking Defense. (11 Jan 2022)
  31. Web site: The Air and Missile Defense Radar (AN/SPY-6(V)) . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20210804131528/https://www.raytheon.com/sites/default/files/capabilities/rtnwcm/groups/public/documents/image/amdr-infographic-pdf.pdf . 4 August 2021 . 15 January 2023 . Raytheon . 7, 11.
  32. Web site: Environmental Assessment for Installation and Operation of Air and Missile Defense Radar AN / SPY-6 . 15 January 2023 . Surface Combat Systems Center . 1-5.

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