SEA AIR SPACE 2023 — The US Navy has awarded Raytheon a $619 million contract modification that will begin the process of backfitting numerous Arleigh Burke-class destroyers with the company’s premier missile defense radar, SPY-6.
“SPY-6 is the most advanced naval radar in the world providing unprecedented integrated air and missile defense capabilities,” said Kim Ernzen, president of naval power at Raytheon Missiles & Defense. “Integration into the U.S. fleet is well underway with SPY-6 operating on the Navy’s first, new Flight III destroyer. This contract enables the radar to be added to more ships including the first of existing Flight IIA destroyers that will be modernized.”
The new contract award, announced March 29, is part of a larger deal, with a cumulative value of $3.2 billion, the Navy and Raytheon inked last year to outfit the fleet with all variants of its SPY-6 missile defense radar.
“The Navy’s been working closely with us for the last three or four years, getting themselves in a position to be able to get the first backfit installed,” Mike Mills, senior director for naval radars at Raytheon, told Breaking Defense in January of the upcoming contract.
The variant scheduled for installation onboard the Flight IIA Arleigh Burke-class destroyers is the SPY-6(V)4. The destroyer class is one of the longest running ship programs in the Navy, with the first vessel having started construction in 1988. The service just recently announced the class’ lead ship, Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), will receive a five-year service life extension. The ship was on track to leave service in fiscal 2026 but now will remain operational through FY31.
“Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are the backbone of the Navy’s surface fleet and critical to the Nation and the Navy today and long into the future,” Rear Adm. Brendan McLane, commander of Naval Surface Force Atlantic, said in a statement about the life extension.
The other variants of Raytheon’s radar include SPY-6(V)1 which will go onboard certain amphibious vessels, SPY-6(V)2 designed for amphibious assault ships and Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, and SPY-6(V)3 which is being integrated aboard the newer Ford-class aircraft carriers.
When asked about future options remaining on the $3.2 billion contract, a Raytheon spokeswoman told Breaking Defense, “The Navy has two remaining options on the current contract which will add an additional SPY-6 variants to the fleet. These options are typically awarded yearly so we would assume option year 3 in 2024 and option year 4 in 2025. There will be future [requests for proposal] and follow-on contracts that will keep Raytheon delivering SPY-6 Radars to the warfighter over the next decade.”
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