Japanese tech company Fujitsu has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Lockheed Martin to produce power supply components of the AN/SPY-7(V)1 solid state radar for two Aegis System Equipped Vessels (ASEV) on order for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
The announcement was made on May 22 amid the DSEI Japan 2025 defense show in Chiba Prefecture, which attracted 471 exhibitors from 33 countries as the country’s largest defense trade show.
Under the agreement, Fujitsu will manufacture “the SPY-7 Subarray Suite Power Supply Line Replaceable Unit (PS LRU)” for the ASEVs, a joint press release by Fujitsu and Lockheed said. An official at Fujitsu told Naval News on May 23 that Lockheed will place an order with Fujitsu after October 2025.
The JMSDF is expected to take delivery of the first ASEV during fiscal year 2027, with the second one in the following fiscal year 2028. The first ship will be manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, while the second ship will be built by JMU.
“Fujitsu is honored to contribute to the manufacturing of the SPY-7 radar, especially in the production of the PS LRU, a critical component of the system,” Fujitsu executive officer Tsuneo Hayashi said at the statement.
“Fujitsu will further expand its collaboration with Lockheed Martin on the SPY-7 radar, contributing to its sustainment in Japan and helping to strengthen national security,” Hayashi added.
“By locally manufacturing critical components for the SPY-7 radar, Japan can have complete confidence that this system will be fully supported and sustained for decades to come,” Lockheed Martin Vice President Paul Lemmo also said.
“We are honored to play a role in shaping the future of Japan’s defense industry and proud to contribute to the growth of the defense employment landscape in the country,” Lemmo stressed.
Fujitsu will be a global supplier of the SPY-7 radar. The agreement is not limited to Japan but includes the rest of the world.
According to Lockheed, the SPY-7 radar for the ASEVs is an active phased array radar (a radar using an array antenna with multiple antenna elements regularly arranged) consisting of 328 subarray suites (SAS).
In 2024, the two companies signed a previous MOU to expand Lockheed Martin’s Industrial Cooperation goals for expanding its solid-state radar production and sustainment in Japan, the joint statement said.
However, a source at Fujitsu told Naval News that the agreement this time was reached after the Japanese government had asked Lockheed to allow more Japanese companies to get involved into the SPY-7 system.
In a related development, Mitsubishi Electric, or MELCO, has actively engaged with Raytheon, an RTX business to supply components of the SPY-6(V) radar for U.S. Navy vessels.
For Lockheed, it is extremely important to have Japanese companies involved in the SPY-7 system because the American firm has been promoting the adoption of the SPY-7 radar on the successor vessels to the aging and soon-to-be-decommissioned Kongo-class Aegis destroyers vis-à-vis the SPY-6(V) radar. It also has been promoting new equipment such as the Mark 70 Payload Delivery System (PDS) (a new Vertical Launching System or VLS) and the integration of the land-based interceptor PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) into the Aegis Weapon System used by Japan.
Meanwhile, Fujitsu aims to expand its defense-related business both at home and abroad as the Japanese government relaxes export rules for defense equipment in an effort to strengthen the domestic defense industry.
Watch Naval News‘ interview with Lockheed Martin at DSEI Japan 2025:
