Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) System

The Air & Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) System program, identified as PE 0604522N in the Department of Defense (DoD) budget, is a Navy-led research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) initiative focused on advancing shipborne radar capabilities. The primary goal of this program is to develop and integrate the AN/SPY-6(V) Family of Radars (FoR), which includes several variants tailored for different classes of surface combatants and capital ships. The program supports both procurement and ongoing research to address evolving air and missile threats. This ensures the Navy's surface fleet remains capable of detecting, tracking, and engaging advanced threats in complex operational environments.

AN/SPY-6(V)1 (DDG 51 Flight III) is the flagship variant designed for the Arleigh Burke-class Flight III guided missile destroyers. Its objectives include providing multi-mission capabilities such as long-range, exoatmospheric detection and discrimination of ballistic missiles, as well as area and self-defense against air and surface threats. The radar's enhanced sensitivity and bandwidth are critical for detecting and supporting engagements against advanced ballistic missile threats. Its clutter rejection and low observable detection capabilities are essential for countering very low observable and very low flyer threats in challenging environments. Program activities include continued system engineering, software support for combat system integration, defect correction during operational testing, and data analysis to support the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Key Performance Parameter (IAMD KPP).

AN/SPY-6(V)2 and (V)3 (Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar, EASR) are designed for aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships, and future frigates. These variants focus on providing multi-mission radar capabilities that support air traffic control, situational awareness, and ship self-defense. The radars are engineered to deliver increased clutter capability, short-range detection, and specialized weather waveforms. Program objectives include ongoing testing at land-based sites, refinement of air traffic control support, software development for integration with the Ship Self Defense System (SSDS) Baseline 12, and validation of performance requirements as outlined in the Battlespace Awareness Interface Control Document.

AN/SPY-6(V)4 (DDG 51 Flight IIA Backfit) aims to retrofit existing Flight IIA destroyers with advanced radar technology, leveraging active electronically scanned array (AESA) and digital beamforming. The objectives for this line include scaling hardware and software to fit legacy platforms and updating operational concepts through modeling and simulation. This enables IAMD performance on these ships. Program plans focus on continued developmental testing, software defect correction, system engineering for Aegis Baseline 10M integration, and risk reduction activities leading to the delivery of SPY-6(V)4 radar equipment to DDG 91.

SPY-6 Enhancements represent a set of technology upgrades and capability improvements across the radar family. These include the Advanced Distributed Radar (ADR) for multi-ship cooperative radar operations, the High Efficiency High Powered Amplifier (HPA) for improved manufacturability and cost efficiency, and the Agnostic Signal Processing for Increased Radar Efficiency (ASPIRE) initiative, which focuses on hardware options for flexible digital beamforming and advanced signal processing. Funding supports the integration and testing of second-source RF heads, HPA testing, and continued development of radar simulation tools to support combat system test beds.

Program management and oversight are integral to the AMDR System's objectives, ensuring cost, schedule, and performance goals are met. The program leverages a combination of government and contractor support for system engineering, integration, and test activities, with Raytheon IDS serving as the primary system integrator. The acquisition strategy emphasizes hardware and software commonality across radar variants to achieve economies of scale and streamline sustainment. The budget request also includes mandatory funding for the development of advanced signal processing algorithms to improve electronic protection capabilities, in alignment with broader missile defense objectives.