SPY-6 is the U.S. Navy family of radars that performs air and missile defense on seven classes of ships and is a giant leap in capability for the fleet.
SPY-6 radars are integrated, meaning they can defend against ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, hypersonic missiles, hostile aircraft and surface ships simultaneously. They offer many advantages over legacy radars, such as greater detection range, increased sensitivity and more accurate discrimination.
Delivering unmatched, scalable air and missile defense to the fleet
SPY-6 radars optimize the effectiveness of the Navy’s most advanced weapons, including all Standard Missile variants.
Precise targeting information and data on incoming threats allows weapons to maximize their performance.
Each variant uses the same hardware and software, and their construction is modular, making the SPY-6 family more reliable and less expensive to maintain.
Each radar is built with individual “building blocks” called radar modular assemblies. Each RMA is a self-contained radar antenna in a 2’x2’x2’ box. The RMAs stack together to fit the mission requirements of any ship – a feature that makes the SPY-6 family the Navy’s first truly scalable radars.
SPY-6 radar arrays are being delivered and integrated onto all the Navy’s newest ships, including DDG 51 Flight III destroyers, frigates, aircraft carriers and amphibious warships, and are being backfit onto legacy DDG 51 Flight IIA destroyers and legacy aircraft carriers.
A closer look at the SPY-6 variants
Designed for the DDG 51 Flight III destroyers, SPY-6(V)1 features:
- 4 array faces – each with 37 RMAs – providing continuous, 360-degree situational awareness
- Significantly enhanced range and sensitivity compared to the radar it replaces
SPY-6(V)1 simultaneously defends against:
- Ballistic missiles
- Hypersonic missiles
- Cruise missiles
- Anti-surface and anti-air threats
- Jamming/clutter and electronic warfare
Designed for amphibious assault ships and Nimitz-class carriers, SPY-6(V)2 – also known as the Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (rotator variant) – features:
- Onerotating array face – with 9 RMAs – providing continuous, 360-degree situational awareness
- Air traffic control and ship self-defense capabilities
SPY-6(V)2 simultaneously defends against:
- Cruise missiles
- Anti-surface and anti-ship threats
- Jamming/clutter and electronic warfare
Designed for Ford-class aircraft carriers and FFG(X) guided missile frigates, SPY-6(V)3 – also known as the Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (fixed variant) – features:
- Three fixed-face array faces – each with nine RMAs – providing continuous, 360-degree situational awareness
- Air traffic control (CVN only) and ship self-defense capabilities.
SPY-6(V)3 simultaneously defends against:
- Cruise missiles
- Anti-surface and anti-ship threats
- Jamming/clutter and electronic warfare
Designed for DDG 51 Flight IIA destroyers, SPY-6(V)4 features:
- Four array faces – each with 24 RMAs – providing continuous, 360-degree situational awareness
- Significantly enhanced range and sensitivity compared to the radar it replaces
SPY-6(V)4 simultaneously defends against:
- Ballistic missiles
- Hypersonic missiles
- Cruise missiles
- Anti-surface and anti-air threats
- Jamming/clutter and electronic warfare
