Raytheon Secures $536M Deal to Expand SPY-6 Radar Deployment Across US Navy Fleet

Raytheon has landed a significant $536 million contract from the United States Navy to expand the deployment of its advanced SPY-6 radar systems. This new agreement covers a wide range of services, including engineering support, shipboard installation, system integration, training, and software updates, all aimed at enhancing the radar's performance and maintaining its cutting-edge capabilities.

The contract extends through 2026 and underscores the growing importance of SPY-6 radars in modern naval warfare. These state-of-the-art systems are being installed on more US Navy vessels each year, with two ships already operating them and three more installations underway. Over the next decade, the Navy plans to equip more than 60 ships with SPY-6 radars, significantly upgrading its fleet’s defense capabilities.

Barbara Borgonovi, president of Naval Power at Raytheon, emphasized the radar's strategic value, calling SPY-6 "the most advanced radar in the US naval fleet." She noted that the contract reflects the radar’s central role in the Navy’s long-term modernization roadmap.

At the heart of the SPY-6 system is its scalable and modular design, built around Radar Modular Assemblies (RMAs). Each RMA is a self-contained radar unit housed in a compact cube roughly two feet on each side. By combining multiple RMAs, Raytheon can tailor different radar configurations to suit the mission and size of various ship classes.

There are four main variants in the SPY-6 radar family:

• SPY-6(V)1 is the most powerful configuration, used on the latest DDG 51 Flight III destroyers. It has four fixed radar faces, each with 37 RMAs, providing full 360-degree coverage and robust defense against cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and even hypersonic threats.

• SPY-6(V)4, a slightly scaled-down version with 24 RMAs per face, offers similar full-spectrum coverage and is designed for ships like amphibious assault vessels and Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.

• SPY-6(V)2 is a single-face rotating radar with 9 RMAs. This version focuses on self-defense and air traffic control and is ideal for platforms requiring a smaller radar footprint.

• SPY-6(V)3 offers the same functions as the (V)2 but comes with three fixed radar faces instead of a rotating one, and is being installed on Ford-class aircraft carriers and the new Constellation-class frigates.

All SPY-6 variants provide 360-degree situational awareness and are designed to detect and track a wide range of threats, including air, surface, and electronic warfare attacks. The system’s flexibility and adaptability make it a cornerstone of the Navy’s future surface fleet strategy.

This $536 million investment not only reinforces Raytheon's leadership in advanced radar systems but also demonstrates the Navy's commitment to preparing its fleet for the complex threat environment of the future.