Lockheed Martin and its trading partner in Japan were recently contracted by the Japanese Ministry of Defense to produce two solid-state radar antenna sets to protect Japan against ballistic missile threats.
Aegis Ashore Japan will integrate the SPY-7 radar with the Aegis Combat System to deploy the latest digital, solid-state radar technology for continuous protection of Japan.
The system, designated AN/SPY-7(V)1 by the U.S. government, will
- Detect, track and engage sophisticated ballistic missile threats.
- Provide several times the detection range and sensitivity of the traditional SPY-1 Aegis Ashore systems.
- Engage multiple targets simultaneously with proven interceptors.
The combat system for Aegis Ashore Japan will be compatible with the country’s current Aegis naval fleet, maintaining full interoperability. As the threat environment evolves, Aegis Ashore Japan will be updated from the same Common Source Library of software updates that all Aegis systems use.
Lockheed Martin is leveraging existing programs for Aegis Ashore Japan and using its existing supply chain, which supports multiple solid-state radar programs.
Variants of the SPY-7 radar will also be used through partnerships with the U.S. government, Spain and Canada. The technology has been selected for a total of 24 systems.
The Aegis weapon system is the most deployed combat system in the world, and its flexible system architecture enables it to fulfill a variety of missions. Its open architecture allows the system to maintain interoperability across global domains on 118 ships, 10 ship classes and seven countries.