In Arlington, Va., the U.S. Navy has reported successful testing of its newest shipboard radar, the Raytheon-made AN/SPY-6 radar, which spotted targets the older radars could not. Tests were conducted aboard the Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Jack H. Lucas in September and December. The ship will sail to Hawaii for continued testing ahead of a planned August declaration of initial operational capability.
Rear Adm. Seiko Okano said the SPY-6 radar had minimal sea testing at the time of the interview and further learning is expected about its capabilities during developmental testing. The radar is part of a family of radars, with different versions for various ships, including destroyers, amphibious ships, and carriers. A plan is in place for the backfitting of the radar onto Flight IIA Arleigh Burke destroyers, with the program manager Capt. Tim Moore presenting details at a conference in January.
Lessons learned from the testing on Jack Lucas will apply to other variants, with Raytheon’s heavily automated production facility already producing the radars. The company is near completion of the first low-rate initial production contract signed in 2017 and expects further contracts to allow for continuous production. Megan Eckstein is the naval warfare reporter at Defense News and has been covering military news since 2009.
