Unveiling the Future: The U.S. Navy’s Innovative SPY-6 Radar Series

SPY-6 is the U.S. Navy’s radar family that executes air and missile defense across seven classes of vessels and represents a significant advancement in fleet capabilities.

The SPY-6 series is cohesive, meaning it can shield against ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, hostile aircraft, and surface vessels concurrently. It boasts numerous benefits over traditional radars, such as enhanced detection range, superior sensitivity, and more precise discrimination. 

Providing unparalleled, scalable air and missile interception for the fleet

This advanced radar maximizes the effectiveness of the Navy’s cutting-edge weaponry, including all SM-3 interceptor and SM-6 missile variants. Accurate targeting data and information on approaching threats enable the weapons to optimize their performance.

All variants share identical hardware and software, plus their design is modular, making SPY-6 more dependable and cost-effective to maintain.

It incorporates distinct ‘building blocks’ known as radar modular assemblies. Each RMA functions as an independent radar antenna contained within a 2’x2’x2’ unit. The RMAs can be stacked to fulfill the mission specifications of any vessel – a characteristic that renders SPY-6 the Navy’s inaugural truly scalable radar.

SPY-6 arrays are being supplied and integrated onto the Navy’s latest warships, including its pioneering Flight III guided missile destroyer, the future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), and the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79).