USN contracts out support for SBX-1
SBX-1 missile defence radar, docked at Pearl Harbor for scheduled maintenance in 2009. (Photo: (Photo: USN/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class John Wallace Ciccarelli)
Private vessel to aid refuelling and resupply of missile defence radar platform in the Pacific Ocean.
The Togo-flagged offshore support vessel Hercules is to support refuelling and resupply of the Sea-Based X-Band Radar (SBX-1) for US Pacific Command, under a minimum 12-month contract modification from USN Military Sealift Command for Great Eastern Group.
This $9.13 million modification, announced on 13 August, includes three 12-month options and a single 11-month option.
The SBX-1 missile defence radar was deployed for the first time in 2006. In June 2021, Shephard reported that the floating AESA radar station is being upgraded with a redesigned and environmentally friendly cooling system.
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