ARLINGTON, Va. — Raytheon, an RTX business, has received a contract from the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) to develop software upgrades aimed at helping naval radars detect smaller targets at greater distances and classify them more quickly.
The program will run through 2031 and focus on the SPY-6 family of radars and future naval systems.
Software Upgrades for Naval Radars
Raytheon’s Advanced Technology team will develop and evaluate advanced signal- and data-processing algorithms. The software changes are designed to increase radar sensitivity, extend detection range and improve overall system efficiency.
The upgrades will undergo laboratory and field testing to validate their performance before being integrated for operational fleet use.
“Modernizing fielded radar systems with software-first upgrades is one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to deliver mission-ready capability,” said Colin Whelan, president of Advanced Technology at Raytheon.
He said the enhancements will enable naval operators to detect smaller objects at greater distances and classify targets more quickly, providing faster and more informed decision-making.
Builds on ASPIRE and STORM
The new contract builds on earlier ONR projects, including ASPIRE and STORM. These programs focused on software-defined apertures and established hardware and software foundations for next-generation radar capabilities.
SPY-6 Radar Family
The SPY-6 family is used by the U.S. Navy across seven ship classes. The radar can support simultaneous defense against ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles, as well as hostile aircraft and surface vessels. It also provides incoming-threat data to guide naval weapons, including all variants of the Standard Missile.
SPY-6 variants use shared hardware and software components called radar modular assemblies. Each assembly is a self-contained radar antenna housed in a two-foot cube.
The main variants include:
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SPY-6(V)1: Installed on Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyers, with four array faces and 37 assemblies per face.
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SPY-6(V)2: Designed for amphibious assault ships and Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, using a single rotating array.
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SPY-6(V)3: Designed for Ford-class carriers and guided-missile frigates, using three fixed arrays.
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SPY-6(V)4: Used on Flight IIA destroyers, with four array faces containing 24 assemblies each.
The modular architecture is designed to meet different mission requirements while improving reliability and reducing maintenance costs.
Development and Testing
Development and testing will be conducted at Raytheon facilities in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and Andover, Massachusetts.
Raytheon is also expanding its engineering workforce to support the long-term contract and other military programs, recruiting emerging talent, veterans and experienced professionals.
Raytheon’s parent company, RTX, reported more than $88 billion in sales in 2025 and currently employs more than 180,000 people globally.
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