AN/SPY-6
The AMDR (Air and Missile Defense Radar, now officially named AN/SPY-6)[1] is an active electronically scanned array[2] air and missile defense 3D radar under development for the United States Navy.[3] It will provide integrated air and missile defense, and even periscope detection, for the Flight III Template:Sclass-s.[4]
Development
On October 10, 2013, "Raytheon Company (RTN) [was] awarded a $385,742,176 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase design, development, integration, test and delivery of Air and Missile Defense S-band Radar (AMDR-S) and Radar Suite Controller (RSC)." [5] In September 2010, the Navy awarded technology development contracts to Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon to develop the S-band radar and radar suite controller (RSC). X-band radar development reportedly will come under separate contracts. The Navy hopes to place AMDR on Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, possibly beginning in 2016. Those ships currently mount the Aegis Combat System, produced by Lockheed Martin.[6]
In 2013, the Navy cut almost $10 billion from the cost of the program by adopting a smaller less capable system that will be challenged by "future threats".[7] As of 2013[update] the program is expected to deliver 22 radars at a total cost of $6,598m; they will cost $300m/unit in serial production.[8] Testing is planned for 2021 and Initial operating capability is planned for March 2023.[8] The Navy then was forced to halt the contract in response to a challenge by Lockheed.[9] Lockheed officially withdrew their protest on January 10, 2014[10], allowing the Navy to lift the stop work order.[11]
Technology
The AMDR system consists of two primary radars and a radar suite controller (RSC) to coordinate the sensors. An S-band radar is to provide volume search, tracking, ballistic missile defense discrimination and missile communications while the X-band radar is to provide horizon search, precision tracking, missile communication and terminal illumination of targets.[6] The S-band and X-band sensors will also share functionality including radar navigation, periscope detection, as well as missile guidance and communication. AMDR is intended as a scalable system; the Burke deckhouse can only accommodate a 4.3 m (14 ft) version but the USN claim they need a radar of 6.1 m (20 ft) or more to meet future ballistic missile threats.[8] This would require a new ship design; Ingalls have proposed the Template:Sclass- as the basis for a ballistic missile defense cruiser with 6.1 m (20 ft) AMDR. To cut costs the first twelve AMDR sets will have an X-band component based on the existing SPQ-9B rotating radar, to be replaced by a new X-band radar in set 13 that will be more capable against future threats.[8] The transmit-receive modules will use new gallium nitride semiconductor technology.[8] This will allow for higher power density than the previous gallium arsenide radar modules.[12] The new radar will require twice the electrical power as the previous generation while generating over 35 times as much radar power.[13]
Although it was not an initial requirement, the AMDR may be capable of performing electronic attacks using its AESA antenna. Airborne AESA radar systems, like the APG-77 used on the F-22 Raptor, and the APG-81 and APG-79 used on the F-35 Lightning II, and F/A-18 Super Hornet/EA-18G Growler respectively, and have demonstrated their capability to conduct electronic attack. The contenders for the Navy's Next Generation Jammer all used Gallium Nitride-based (GaN) transmit-receiver modules for their EW systems, which enables the possibility that the high-power GaN-based AESA radar used on Flight III ships can perform the mission. Precise beam steering could attack air and surface threats with tightly directed beams of high-powered radio waves to electronically blind aircraft, ships, and missiles.[14]
The radar is 30 times more sensitive and can simultaneously handle over 30 times the targets of the existing AN/SPY-1D(V) in order to counter large and complex raids.[15]
Versions
- AN/SPY-6(V)1: AMDR with 37 RMAs for Flight III Arleigh Burke-class DDG.
- AN/SPY-6(V)2: Otherwise known as the Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar[16]. Rotated and scaled-down version with 9 RMAs for Flight II San Antonio-class LPD.
- AN/SPY-6(V)3: Fixed version EASR for Ford-class aircraft carrier and FFG(X).
- AN/SPY-6(V)4: AMDR with 24 RMAs to be retrofitted to Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class DDG.
See also
- Phased array
- Active electronically scanned array
- Active phased array radar
- AN/SPY-3
- EL/M-2248 MF-STAR
- OPS-24
- OPS-50
- Selex RAT-31DL
- Selex RAN-40L
- Type 346 Radar
References
- ^ http://www.raytheon.com/capabilities/products/amdr/
- ^ http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=2100&tid=306&ct=2
- ^ "AMDR Competition: The USA's Next Dual-Band Radar". Archived from the original on 13 October 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-01.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Exhibit R-2A, RDT&E Project Justification: PB 2011 Navy" (PDF). 2010-03-15. Retrieved 2010-10-01.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-10-18. Retrieved 2013-10-10.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b "New Radar Development Continues for U.S. Navy". Defense News. Archived from the original on 2012-09-20. Retrieved 2011-04-01.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "NavWeek: Radar Shove."
- ^ a b c d e "GAO-13-294SP DEFENSE ACQUISITIONS Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs" (PDF). US Government Accountability Office. March 2013. pp. 117–8. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
- ^ Shalal-Esa, Andrea (23 October 2013). "U.S. Navy orders Raytheon to halt radar work after protest". www.reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
- ^ McCarthy, Mike (10 January 2014). "Lockheed Martin Drops Protest On Award Of Navy's New Shipboard Radar". Defense Daily. Defense Daily Network. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
- ^ LaGrone, Sam (13 January 2014). "Lockheed Martin Drops Protest over Next Generation Destroyer Radar". news.usni.org. US Naval Institute News. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
- ^ "The Heart of the Navy’s Next Destroyer."
- ^ Filipoff, Dmitry (4 May 2016). "CIMSEC Interviews Captain Mark Vandroff, Program Manager DDG-51, Part 1". cimsec.org. CIMSEC. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ Navy’s Next Generation Radar Could Have Future Electronic Attack Abilities - News.USNI.org, 17 January 2014
- ^ http://defense-update.com/20150512_amdr_cdr.html
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FADAPPKXk40