UK’s $1 billion AUKUS support request signals strong ongoing US collaboration
The latest foreign military sales request from the UK has implications for the future of the programme and collaboration between the three nations.
USN goes virtual to test AN/SPY-6
AN/SPY-6 array. (Photo: Raytheon)
Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division puts AESA radar through its paces.
The future Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Jack H Lucas is being fitted with an AN/SPY-6 radar system, the US Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) announced on 25 June.
Early integration testing of this advanced radar leveraged a series of successful test events conducted by NSWCDD in 2020 in a virtualised environment.
The virtualised tests were about 95% cheaper than using land-based test equipment, NSWCDD noted. Its engineers say that similar IT concepts could be applied to computer systems across the USN with reductions in SWaP, cost and cooling.
‘What we’ve done is take what would reside on a physical computer, and we created virtual machines that allow us to further subdivide the available processing power for maximum effect,’ said NSWCDD virtualisation chief engineer Dennis Larsen.
He added: ‘We’re not modifying the computer programs themselves, we’re using their existing environment and installing them into the virtual environment.’
The AN/SPY-6 is a central feature of the Flight III Arleigh Burke class, providing a simultaneous anti-air warfare and ballistic missile defence capability.
AN/SPY-6 is designed by Raytheon as a scalable radar to equip a range of vessel sizes from corvettes up to frigates and cruisers. The USN regards it (and related variants) as the next-generation radar system not only for the Arleigh Burke class but also for vessels such as Constellation-class frigates, Gerald R Ford-class aircraft carriers and San Antonio-class amphibious transport docks.
Shephard Defence Insight describes USN plans to declare IOC for AN/SPY-6 in 2023.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Arleigh Burke Flight III (DDG 140 - DDG 149) [USN]
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
You may also like
More from Naval Warfare
-
![UK’s $1 billion AUKUS support request signals strong ongoing US collaboration]()
-
![US Coast Guard prepares acquisition process of up to seven light icebreakers]()
US Coast Guard prepares acquisition process of up to seven light icebreakers
The USCG plans to award a contract this year for the construction of Homeland Security Cutters. The new vessels will replace the 60-plus-year-old fleet of Light Icebreaking Tugs.
-
![RTX Raytheon enhances SM-3 and SM-6 production capacity]()
RTX Raytheon enhances SM-3 and SM-6 production capacity
The expansion of the Redstone facility in Alabama will enable Raytheon to increase production of Standard Missiles in the location by 50% and support Washington in refilling stockpiles after recent operations have depleted the Pentagon’s reserves.
-
![What the rise of interoperability between Western allies means for defence procurement]()
What the rise of interoperability between Western allies means for defence procurement
Major naval initiatives including the European Patrol Corvette programmes and Norway’s UK partnership-focused purchase of Type 26 frigates point to the growing interest in the advantages of commonality across allied navies.
-
![Kraken’s Royal Navy USV contract signals next step in crewed-uncrewed integration]()
Kraken’s Royal Navy USV contract signals next step in crewed-uncrewed integration
The UK Royal Navy’s rapid procurement of uncrewed platforms aligns with the force’s strategic shift towards a fleet better equipped to handle modern threats.
-
![HMS Anson’s milestone stay in Australia cut short during AUKUS deployment]()
HMS Anson’s milestone stay in Australia cut short during AUKUS deployment
The Astute-class submarine’s visit to Australia was the first time maintenance activity on a UK Royal Navy nuclear submarine had been carried out in the country.
