NAVSEA press release
This marks the completion of EASR system deliveries for what will be the first LPD 17 Class ship and the first U.S. Navy install and activation of the SPY-6(V)2, rotating variant, S-Band radar.
“The progress made is a testament to the collaboration across multiple organizations in bringing this next-generation radar to the LPD program. The Navy and our industry partners look forward to systems activation and testing as LPD 29 continues on the path to sea trials later this year.”
Capt. Cedric J. McNeal, Amphibious Warfare Program Manager, Program Executive Office (PEO Ships)
SPY-6(V)2 provides the U.S. Navy with a common hardware variant for carrier and amphibious ships. In addition to providing hardware and software commonality, the radar will also contribute to increased engagement and overall ship self-defense.
As with all incremental technology enhancements, the Navy is applying an increased focus to ensure that the system is provided on schedule, integrated into the ship/combat system and activated. Ultimately, EASR will be made ready as an integral sensor in an integrated Ship Self-Defense System to support the ship’s employment.
As one of the Defense Department’s largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships, special mission and support ships, boats and craft.
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About SPY-6
The SPY-6 family is integrated, meaning it can defend against ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, hostile aircraft and surface ships simultaneously. And it offers many advantages over legacy radars, such as greater detection range, increased sensitivity and more accurate discrimination.
SPY-6 comes in four variants:
- SPY-6(V)1 is designed for the new DDG 51 Flight III destroyers.
- SPY-6(V)2, also known as the Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (rotator variant), is designed for amphibious assault ships and Nimitz-class carriers.
- SPY-6(V)3, also known as the Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (fixed variant), is designed for Ford-class aircraft carriers and FFG(X) guided missile frigates.
- SPY-6(V)4 is designed to upgrade the in-service DDG 51 Flight IIA destroyers.
Each variant uses the same hardware and software, and their construction is modular, making SPY-6 more reliable and less expensive to maintain. The radar is built with individual ‘building blocks’ called radar modular assemblies (RMA). Each RMA is a self-contained radar antenna in a 2’x2’x2’ box. The RMAs stack together to fit the mission requirements of any ship – a feature that makes SPY-6 the Navy’s first truly scalable radar.
