Brenda Marie Rivers
Raytheon and the U.S. Navy are working to integrate the former’s AN/SPY-6 missile defense radar into the Lockheed Martin-built Aegis combat system to be installed on the service’s guided-missile destroyers, National Defense Magazine reported Friday.
Scott Spence, senior director of naval radar systems at Raytheon, told the publication that the company completed engineering and development milestones and is moving forward with production of the radar with an updated baseline.
Raytheon plans to integrate the SPY-6 radar into the Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyers after delivering the technical data package to the military branch in October.
The defense firm’s website notes that the latest versions of the SPY-6 radar family are designed to simultaneously defend against ballistic and cruise missiles as well as anti-surface and air threats. The radar also has electronic warfare and jamming features to support air and missile defense for amphibious assault ships, aircraft carriers and small surface vessels.
According to Paul Lemmo, Lockheed’s vice president and general manager for integrated warfare systems and sensors, the company is also working on a next-generation radar for international allies as part of an agreement with the Missile Defense Agency.
The long-range discrimination radar will “serve as the backbone†for MDA’s layered defense network for ballistic missile defense, he said.
