Raytheon has successfully completed a hardware preliminary design review and integrated baseline review of the US Navy’s next generation air and ballistic missile defence radar (AMDR), paving the way for integration onto the DDG 51 Flight III destroyer.
The reviews involved assessing the maturity of the new AMDR design, its configuration to requirements, and the master plan for executing the programme.
Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems Seapower Capability Systems business area vice-president Kevin Peppe said: "The maturity of our technologies, processes and infrastructure serves as a solid foundation for our ongoing development.
"With the technology risks retired in the earlier technology development (TD) phase and cost reduction initiatives already implemented, we’re now fully focused on the fabrication of the AMDR system and completion of the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase."
Claimed to be the US Navy’s first truly scalable radar, Raytheon’s AMDR is constructed with radar building blocks (RMAs) that can be combined to form any size of radar aperture, either smaller or larger than the existing SPY-1D(V).
AMDR uses gallium nitride (GaN) technology, and boosts power in a smaller size. It consumes less space onboard, with lower power and cooling requirements, while enabling the DDG 51 Flight III to integrate new capabilities to adapt to future threats.
As part of the multiple phases of the programme, Raytheon has successfully revealed the potential of the system, the maturity of the technology, and the inbuilt innovation and flexibility of the design.
Image: The reviews mean that the air and missile defence radar could soon be integrated on the DDG 51 Flight III destroyer. Photo: courtesy of Raytheon.
