Installation of the U.S. Navy’s AN/SPY-6(V)1 radar has begun on the service’s new Aegis Flight III guided-missile destroyer, the future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125). The four arrays that comprise the highly advanced radar system, built by Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a Raytheon Technologies business, are being installed on the ship at the Huntington Ingalls Industries shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The SPY-6(V) family of radars is ground-breaking technology that will enable the Navy to see farther, react quicker and greatly enhance their defense against threats. The system delivers significantly greater range, increased accuracy, greater resistance to environmental and man-made electronic clutter, advanced electronic protection and higher reliability than currently deployed radars.
“SPY-6 provides the Navy with unprecedented operational flexibility and readiness against a multitude of threats, and this milestone is a transformative step forward to placing unmatched technology into sailors’ hands,” said Kim Ernzen, Naval Power vice president at Raytheon Missiles & Defense. “From COVID-19 to hurricanes along the Gulf Coast, our partners cleared numerous hurdles to complete deliveries and keep this important part of the ship-build on schedule.”
“As the future USS Jack Lucas takes shape, we are at the cusp of a new era for detection and discrimination of threats and decision-making at sea,” said Capt. Jason Hall, program manager for Above-Water Sensors for the U.S. Navy’s Program Executive Office for Integrated Warfare Systems. “SPY-6 will fill critical mission gaps and enable precision operations in jammed and cluttered environments like never before.”
The SPY-6 radar, along with its 16-foot-by-18 foot transport fixture, weighed 38,000 pounds – a “super load,” in trucking parlance. Adding to the challenge, each of the 11 states on the journey required a special permit and has different rules governing transport. Some prohibit travel during adverse weather, and some require police or civilian escorts. All prohibited nighttime travel. And because the radar shipment is classified, the company’s two-person, bonded driving team stays with the truck and trailer the entire trip. Drivers keep Arbeiter updated on miles covered, where they stop and when they expect to arrive at the shipyard. Production of the remaining radar arrays for the USS Jack H. Lucas is on schedule, with the last one expected to be delivered in October. Operational tests to evaluate system performance on the new ship is slated to start in 2022.
The future USS Jack H. Lucas is the first Flight III DDG to receive SPY-6(V)1 and is on track to deliver in FY23. USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125) will be an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, first of the Flight III variants and 75th overall in the class. She is named after Captain Jacklyn H. Lucas, recipient of the Medal of Honor. Flight III destroyers will have improved capability and capacity to perform Anti-Air Warfare and Ballistic Missile Defense in support of the Integrated Air and Missile Defense mission. This system delivers quick reaction time, and increased electronic countermeasures capability for Anti-Air Warfare. The Flight III design contains modifications from the earlier DDG 51 class, to enable the SPY-6 radar which includes larger electronically scanned arrays and cooling equipment required to operate the powerful new radar.
Raytheon Missiles & Defense brings global customers the most advanced end-to-end solutions delivering the advantage of one innovative partner to detect, track, and intercept threats. With a broad portfolio of air and missile defense systems, precision weapons, radars, command and control systems and advanced defense technologies Raytheon Missiles & Defense solutions protect citizens, warfighters and infrastructure in more than fifty countries around the world.
