Lockheed Martin has delivered the first set of SPY-7 radar antennas destined for the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force’s two new Aegis System Equipped Vessels (ASEVs).
As per a recent press statement, the four AN/SPY-7(V)1 radar antennas have recently been handed over to the Japan Ministry of Defence (JMoD) via Mitsubishi.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Japan Marine United (JMU) are each building one of the new ASEVs; they are due to be commissioned in 2027 and 2028 respectively.
Chandra Marshall, vice president of Multi-Domain Combat Solutions at Lockheed Martin, commented: “The successful on-time delivery of all antennas for the first ASEV showcases the maturity and scalability of the SPY-7 radar as well as production capacity, while also demonstrating Lockheed Martin’s dedication and expertise in system integration,”
She added: “We will continue full system integration and testing with all four antennas at the Production Test Center in Moorestown, New Jersey this year, prior to equipment delivery to Japan, which will significantly reduce integration risk and enable commissioning on schedule.”
Japan decided to order two ASEVs in 2020 at an estimated cost of about $7 billion as a replacement for its axed land-based Aegis Ashore ballistic missile interception programme.
Details of the ships’ design remain unclear; initial suggestions were that the ship would be cruiser-sized vessels each displacing about 20,000 tonnes, making them the largest vessels in the JMSDF fleet.
However, subsequent reports have suggested they may be smaller, similar in size to the force’s existing 8,200-tonne Maya-class destroyers.
The ASEVs are likely to carry Raytheon’s Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) Sea-Based Terminal (SBT) system designed for extended-range anti-air warfare; it is intended to defend against incoming hypersonic glide weapons.
The two ASEVs are also expected to wield an upgraded sea-based version of MHI’s Type 12 anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) system capable of striking land and naval targets with a range of over 600 miles, plus an array of close-in weapon systems (CIWS).
Lockheed Martin is also supplying a sea-based version of its SPY-7 radar for Spain’s F-110 frigates and Canada’s forthcoming River-class destroyers.
A land-based version, designated TPY-6, has also been deployed by the Missile Defense Agency for the Guam Defence System and the Long-Range Discrimination Radar, the U.S. ballistic missile defence facility in Alaska.
- You can read more details about SPY-7 on the Lockheed Martin website