The US Navy’s Program Executive Office, Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO USC), has awarded a…

Lockheed Martin delivers SPY-7(V)1 radar antenna to Japan
US Company Lockheed Martin has delivered the first AN/SPY-7(V)1 radar antenna for an Aegis System Equipped Vessel (ASEV) to the Japan Ministry of Defense for Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD). The delivery was made through Mitsubishi Corporation under a Direct Commercial Sale (DCS) arrangement.
The SPY-7 antenna will now proceed to final integration with the ASEV combat system at Lockheed Martin’sProduction Test Centre (PTC-2) in Moorestown, New Jersey, prior to full system delivery to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). This comprehensive integration phase significantly minimizes risk during ship integration and ensures optimal system performance prior to delivery, says the company.
The two 14,000-ton ASEV ships are a replacement for the two cancelled Aegis Ashore systems which would have used the Lockheed Martin Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) to which the SPY-7 is related. The first is due to be commissioned in 2027. They are equipped with 128 Mk41 Vertical Launch System cells and will be armed with a combination of ESSM missiles, RGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles, SM-3 Block IIA and SM-6 missiles.
“This milestone continues to demonstrate Lockheed Martin’s ability to rapidly scale mature, cutting-edge technology for Japan,” said Chandra Marshall, vice president of Multi-Domain Combat Solutions at Lockheed Martin.
The ASEV warships will be equipped to defend against modern hypersonic missiles which may be too manoeuvrable for current ballistic missile defence systems. They will also be fitted with the UNIted COmbined Radio aNtenna, or UNICORN, NORA-50 mast, which has a bar-shaped dome that houses the antennas for the tactical data link, Tactical Air Navigation System (TACAN), and communications. This is designed to reduce the ship’s radar cross section (RCS) and is currently being installed on the Mogami-class frigates that are entering service with the JMSDF or under construction.
These ships have been shortlisted for acquisition by the RAN under Project SEA3000 and EX2 understands Lockheed Martin has provided the company with Aegis cost data in relation to the Australian requirement.
Lockheed Martin’s SPY-7 radar is designed to detect, track, and engage complex ballistic missiles and advanced air threats and simultaneously engaging multiple targets with proven interceptors, the company says. It has been planned for future deployments including Spain’s F-110 Multi-Mission Frigate and Canada’s River-Class Destroyer. In January 2024 Lockheed Martin announced that the AN/SPY-7 (V)2 had demonstrated it could accurately track airborne targets. This radar is due for delivery in 2026
The original Aegis system radar, the AN/SPY-1, is no longer in production. US Navy ships are still being built with the Aegis system but using the AN/SPY-6 radar, for which Raytheon is prime contractor.