US Navy’s AN/SPY-6(V) radar tracks multiple targets in third flight test

The US Navy’s new AN/SPY-6(V) Air and Missile Defense Radar tracked multiple targets during its third dedicated flight test at the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii.

According to radar manufacturer Raytheon, the AN/SPY-6(V) proved integrated air and missile defense performance against a short-range ballistic missile target and multiple anti-ship cruise missile targets.

The radar searched for, detected and tracked all targets from launch throughout their flights.

“The speed, range, trajectory and complexity of multiple targets proved no match for AN/SPY-6 – it acquired and tracked them all,” said Raytheon’s Tad Dickenson, AN/SPY-6(V) program director. “It was truly gratifying for our government-Raytheon team to see the culmination of our engineering efforts in action, and achieve our third straight success.”

“This radar was specifically designed to handle ballistic missiles and cruise missiles simultaneously and it’s doing just that,” said U.S. Navy Captain Seiko Okano, Major Program Manager for Above Water Sensors, Program Executive Office Integrated Warfare Systems. “AMDR is successfully demonstrating performance in a series of increasingly difficult test events and is on track to deliver advanced capability to the Navy’s first Flight III Destroyer.”

After proving it can detect and track both short and medium-range ballistic missile targets, the radar has now demonstrated its performance against an array of singular and simultaneous live targets of increasing complexity, including integrated air and missile defense targets of opportunity, satellites and aircraft.

The AN/SPY-6(V) AMDR is being designed for the DDG 51 Flight III destroyer to provide the U.S. Navy with the necessary technology for Integrated Air and Missile Defense.