US Navy tests first AN/SPY-6(V)4 naval radar in Hawaii to improve ship defense against new threats.

On August 26, 2025, Raytheon, together with the U.S. Navy, conducted the first live maritime test of the AN/SPY-6(V)4 radar at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Barking Sands, Hawaii. The test took place at the Advanced Radar Detection Laboratory and involved multiple trials conducted over open water. During these events, the radar tracked both air and surface targets under a variety of conditions, and the demonstrations produced the first live data set for the (V)4 configuration. This dataset will be used to refine the radar for additional trials and eventual shipboard deployment, transitioning the program from years of laboratory work and simulations into operational validation. This marks the first time the (V)4 variant has been tested in a maritime environment, representing a step forward in its development path.
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The AN/SPY-6(V)4 is a four-face S-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar designed to replace SPY-1 on in-service Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA destroyers under the DDG MOD 2.0 program, which also includes other sensor and combat-system improvements. (Picture source: Raytheon)

The AN/SPY-6(V)4 is part of the SPY-6 Family of Radars, which is built around modular Radar Modular Assemblies (RMAs). In this version, the radar consists of four array faces, each with 24 RMAs, providing continuous 360-degree situational awareness. It is intended to replace the AN/SPY-1D(V) radars currently fitted on in-service Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA destroyers, as part of the broader DDG MOD 2.0 modernization program. This radar variant is designed to deliver enhanced sensitivity and expanded coverage compared to the legacy systems, allowing Flight IIA destroyers to gain upgraded surveillance, target-tracking, and electronic-warfare functionalities. The first ship scheduled to receive the (V)4 upgrade is USS Pinckney (DDG 91), which is set to begin the process in 2026 and re-enter service in 2028. Pinckney has already received the SEWIP Block 3 backfit, another major element of DDG MOD 2.0.

The live test confirmed the radar’s ability to track both high-speed airborne targets and surface contacts in varied environments, validating years of modeling and simulation. The SPY-6(V)4 is designed to strengthen defense against ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, cruise missiles, aircraft, and surface threats. Compared to its predecessor, the SPY-1, the SPY-6 system has greater sensitivity and can track over 30 times more targets simultaneously, making it better suited for large and complex saturation attacks. Built with gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor technology, the radar achieves higher power density and generates over 35 times more radar power than previous systems. It requires more electrical power than its predecessor but enables extended range and more accurate target discrimination.

The SPY-6 Family of Radars includes several configurations adapted to different ship classes. The (V)1 variant, also known as the Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR), consists of four fixed arrays with 37 RMAs each and is integrated into Flight III Arleigh Burke destroyers. The (V)2, also called the Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR) rotator variant, uses a single rotating array of nine RMAs and is planned for amphibious assault ships, San Antonio-class transport docks, and retrofitted Nimitz-class carriers. The (V)3 is a three-face fixed EASR version with nine RMAs per face, designed for Gerald R. Ford-class carriers and Constellation-class frigates. The (V)4, intended for Flight IIA destroyers, has four fixed arrays with 24 RMAs each, combining scalability with increased sensitivity to enhance their operational relevance.

The AN/SPY‑6 radar family incorporates significant performance improvements over legacy systems, including an approximate 15 dB increase in sensitivity in the (V)1 configuration compared to the AN/SPY‑1, enabling detection of targets about half the size at twice the distance. The AN/SPY‑6 also generates over 35 times more radar power while drawing roughly twice the electrical power. It is roughly 30 times more sensitive and can simultaneously track over 30 times more targets than the SPY‑1D(V), enhancing the capacity to counter complex saturation attacks. The modular architecture also supports bistatic or distributed sensing, where separate sensors and transmitters collaborate to extend detection capabilities. Moreover, DOT&E’s Operational Assessment of the (V)1 variant demonstrated early operational performance in detecting and tracking fighter aircraft, cruise missile surrogates, UAVs, helicopters, airborne early warning aircraft, and small boats across clear and contested electromagnetic environments, though further testing with production‑representative systems and more stressing targets is planned before initial operational test and evaluation completion.

Contracts awarded in recent years provide the framework for production and integration. In June 2025, Raytheon received a $536 million award from the U.S. Navy for SPY-6 family support, covering training, engineering services, shipboard integration, and software upgrades, including Flight IIA upgrades with the (V)4 variant. A separate $646 million contract that same month added four more SPY-6(V) radars, bringing the total under contract to 42, with deliveries expected by 2028. These follow-on agreements are part of a broader hardware production and sustainment program initiated in 2022 valued at approximately $3.2 billion over five years, which funds production across all four SPY-6 variants for 31 Navy ships. Raytheon manufactures the systems at its 30,000-square-foot Radar Development Facility in Andover, Massachusetts, which supports continuous integration and multiple radar programs.

Testing and evaluation continue to shape the deployment timeline. The Navy’s Operational Test and Evaluation Force (OPTEVFOR) conducted an operational assessment of the AN/SPY-6(V)1 in December 2022 at ARDEL in Hawaii. This early evaluation focused on the detection and tracking of fighter aircraft, anti-ship cruise missile surrogates, unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters, airborne early warning and control aircraft, and small-boat targets in both clear and contested electromagnetic environments. The assessment confirmed performance in a limited set of scenarios but also identified the need for more stressing aerial targets and a production-representative system for future evaluations. DOT&E expects to deliver a classified operational assessment report for the (V)1 in fiscal year 2024 and plans to cover the (V)4 variant in a future Aegis Modernization test and evaluation plan. These steps align with the Navy’s broader modernization effort to extend the operational lives of its Flight IIA destroyers while integrating SPY-6 across more than 60 ships by the mid-2030s.

Shipborne radars such as the AN/SPY‑6 series serve as central surveillance and threat-engagement sensors aboard modern naval vessels, combining volume search, target tracking, and missile discrimination to support both ship self‑defense and broader fleet area defense. Operating primarily in the S‑band and, in some configurations, paired with X‑band sensors, these active electronically scanned array systems transmit directed electromagnetic beams across the full 360° azimuth and horizon‑to‑zenith elevation to detect, track, and classify air, missile, and surface threats from extended range. Their modular architecture, built from Radar Modular Assemblies, enables scalable installation across various ship types with shared hardware and software, reducing lifecycle costs and logistical complexity. These radars significantly outperform older PESA systems in sensitivity, reportedly up to 30 times greater, allowing detection of smaller, faster targets at twice the distance, while simultaneously addressing ballistic missiles, cruise threats, hypersonic weapons, hostile aircraft, and surface contacts. They also support missile communication and cueing, networked cooperative sensing, and electronic warfare resilience through adaptive beamforming and redundancy. In operational terms, these multifunction radars provide the real-time situational awareness and precise tracking data essential for the effective employment of naval weapons systems and the coordinated defense posture of carrier strike groups and surface action forces.