Raytheon delivers first AN/SPY-6(V) air and missile defence radar to US Navy

Raytheon has delivered its first next-generation AN/SPY-6(V) air and missile defence radar (AMDR) array to the US Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii.

The integrated AMDR radar system is now being prepared to undergo its first radar light-off, scheduled this month.

The scalable SPY-6(V) has been designed to offer exceptional radar capabilities to fit any ship for any mission. It is expected to fill a critical gap in the US navy’s surface fleet.

Raytheon AMDR programme director Tad Dickenson said: "Several months of testing at our near-field range facility, where the array completed characterisation and calibration, have proven the system ready for live target tracking.

"The array was the last component to ship. With all other components, including the back-end processing equipment, delivered earlier and already integrated at the range, AMDR will be up and running in short order."

The system’s engineering and manufacturing development phase is now close to 80% completion.

Design, fabrication and initial testing of the array was completed in less than 30 months, and it is soon set to transition to low-rate initial production.

The radar system is on track for delivery in 2019, following which it will be installed on-board the first DDG-51 Flight III destroyer.

SPY-6(V) is built with radar modular assemblies (RMAs), which act as a standalone radar and can be grouped to create any size radar aperture, from a single RMA to configurations larger than currently fielded radars.

The radar offers better range, sensitivity and discrimination accuracy, and features technology including digital beamforming and Gallium Nitride (GaN). It increases battlespace, situational awareness and reaction time to effectively counter threats.

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Image: AN/SPY-6(V) will fill a criticality gap of the US Navy's surface fleet. Photo: courtesy of Raytheon Company.