Surface Navy 2025: Red Sea combat highlights need for advanced radar

The first fixed-phase SPY-6(V)3 was installed on aircraft carrier John F Kennedy , shown here being prepared for the radar installation. (Janes/Michael Fabey)

Naval combat in the Red Sea region is underscoring the need for the attributes now being proved out during testing of the AN/SPY-6 radar family, according to Scott Spence, Raytheon vice-president of naval systems and sustainment.

“That's one of the driving requirements, to work in high-clutter environments [like the Red Sea],” Spence told Janes on 8 January during a briefing in advance of the Surface Navy Association National Symposium 2025, which started on 14 January.

“To discern what is real and what is clutter is one of the hallmarks of the [SPY-6] radar,” Spence said.

In addition, he noted, with the ability of SPY-6s to provide simultaneous ballistic missile defence (BMD) and air defence, a single ship can accomplish missions that previously required additional vessels.

“All the Red Sea engagements are important,” Spence said. “We are working with the [US] Navy (USN), grabbing all the dialogue – to find out what happened and how might SPY-6 work differently in some circumstances [and] how might it work better together with some systems.”

Noting recent testing of the SPY-6, Spence said, “It's been really eye-opening, the leges of the radar – how far out the radar can see and how that can change how to deploy [guided-missile destroyer DDG 51] Flight IIIs in theatre versus older ships.”

The SPY-6 is no longer a PowerPoint programme, he said. “It's happening on the ship. The capability is significantly over the SPYs before [and] can see farther, more objects, and smaller objects.”

Programmatically, all four SPY-6 variants are now in production, Spence said.