The US Navy has signed a new 515 million dollar contract with Raytheon to modernise its Flight IIA destroyers with next‑generation SPY‑6(V)4 active phased array radars. This move, one of the largest radar modernisation efforts in naval warfare history, will fundamentally change the ships’ situational awareness against intense electronic warfare and ballistic missile threats.
Raytheon, an RTX subsidiary, is accelerating the deployment of the SPY‑6 radar family with a 515 million dollar integration and production support contract from the US Navy. This new phase, which follows the main contract signed in June 2025, focuses specifically on modernising existing destroyers in the fleet.
Integration support for Germany and allied nations under FMS
This massive 515 million dollar deal not only meets the needs of the US Navy but also covers international military partnerships. According to the contract terms shaped under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, Raytheon will continue to provide uninterrupted engineering, technical and integration support for SPY‑6 radar systems in the US Navy inventory. On the global side of the project, the plan is to provide direct support to the German government, primarily on radar integration and technical infrastructure. Furthermore, thanks to the flexible structure of the FMS programme, other allied countries that may wish to add the radar family to their inventories can easily be included in this integration schedule in the future.
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Production capacity to double with Gallium Nitride (GaN) infrastructure
Barbara Borgonovi, President of Naval Power at Raytheon, stated that the SPY‑6 is the US Navy’s most advanced naval radar. She noted that the system offers superior detection and multi‑mission defence capability against evolving asymmetric and conventional threats, and highlighted the expansion of production lines.
To meet global demand and a demanding delivery schedule, the company has invested 800 million dollars in modernising its radar production facilities. With this investment, the goal is to double production capacity of the SPY‑6 radar family by 2028. Production and testing of the systems are carried out at a 30,000‑square‑metre vertical integration Radar Development Facility in Andover, Massachusetts. This highly automated facility also houses a dedicated Gallium Nitride (GaN) foundry where the semiconductors at the heart of the SPY‑6 radars are produced.
Multi‑mission threat matrix and the SPY‑6 radar
Unlike traditional radars, the next‑generation system stands out because it can track multiple layers of threats using a single antenna architecture. The radar precisely detects challenging air and surface targets such as low‑flying cruise missiles, unmanned surface vessels (USVs) and fighter aircraft, while also successfully providing early warning and tracking of ballistic missiles, including those outside the atmosphere. All these operational capabilities come with the advantage of uninterrupted target tracking even in challenging electronic warfare environments with intense jamming and deception.
More than 50 warships to be equipped with this radar
The SPY‑6 radar family is currently operating on two active US warships, while integration and testing are ongoing on 11 more ships. Under the Pentagon’s long‑term procurement and modernisation plan, more than 50 US Navy ships are expected to be equipped with this radar system within the next decade.
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This latest contract once again demonstrates the commitment of the United States and its allies to take maritime situational awareness capabilities to the next level.
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Source: C4Defence– Raytheon
