Lockheed Martin delivers SPY-7 radar to Japan

A computer-generated image of Japan's Aegis System Equipped Vessels fitted with Lockheed Martin's AN/SPY-7(V)1 radar. (Lockheed Martin)

Lockheed Martin has delivered a radar for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's (JMSDF's) future Aegis System Equipped Vessels (ASEVs).

Lockheed Martin delivered the first of the two radars it has been developing for the ASEVs to the Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD) through Mitsubishi Corporation under a Direct Commercial Sale (DCS) arrangement, the company announced on 15 January.

This radar – AN/SPY-7(V)1 – is based on Lockheed Martin's Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR). LRDR is an S-band gallium nitride (GaN)-based 3D air and space surveillance radar with an estimated range of 4,828 km for terrestrial objects and an estimated range of 46,000 km for space-based targets.

“The AN/SPY-7 (V)1 antenna will now proceed to final integration with the ASEV combat system at [Lockheed Martin's] Production Test Center (PTC-2) in Moorestown in support of full system delivery to Japan,” the company said.

The Japan MoD confirmed in December 2023 that Lockheed Martin will supply two solid-state AN/SPY-7(V)1 radars for the ASEVs, which will be core to Japan's integrated air and missile defence (IAMD) capabilities. In September 2024 the MoD announced that it has contracted Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Japan Marine United Corporation to build the first and second ASEVs respectively.

The AN/SPY-7 (V)1 will enable the ASEVs to detect and track ballistic missiles. Speaking to Janes in August 2024, a spokesperson for Lockheed Martin said that the AN/SPY-7(V)1 will provide the ASEVs with enhanced surveillance capabilities compared with the SPY-1D(V) version of the radar, which is fitted onto the JMSDF's two Atago- and two Maya-class destroyers, which were commissioned in 2007–08 and 2020–21 respectively.