Northrop Grumman wins US Navy AN/SPQ-9B radar award
Northrop Grumman will supply AN/SPQ-9B radar systems for the US Navy’s amphibious and Arleigh Burke class ships under a contract award worth $20.4 million.
The series of radars will be installed on the LPD-27, LHA-7 and DDG-79 ships. The latter will be the first guided missile destroyer (DDG) to be modernised, which - the company said - will lead the way for installation of the AN/SPQ-9B radars onto the upcoming Flight III DDG-51 destroyers.
The high-resolution, X-band AN/SPQ-9B radar system is designed to improve the vessel’s ability to defend against small high-speed threats, such as surface-skimming anti-ship missiles. The multi-mission radar system will be integrated with the ships’ fire-control systems to detect small fast-moving targets in the presence of clutter from ocean waves, rain and land returns, as well as chaff and jamming.
Bill Hannon, vice president, Northrop Grumman’s Maritime Systems business unit, said: ‘This is a significant step for Northrop Grumman because it leads the way for a potential of more than 60 DDG-51 radar backfits as well 16 forward fits on the next Flight III destroyers. The AN/SPQ-9B’s performance supplies greater radar capability to surface ships, and represents another milestone in our long term legacy of supplying radars to the navy.’
Northrop Grumman began low-rate initial production of the AN/SPQ-9B in 2000 and full-rate production in 2004, and has supplied 53 radar systems since then. These systems will be delivered in the second quarter of 2015.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Eurosatory 2026: Red Cat eyes South American market for USV-led EEZ surveillance]()
Eurosatory 2026: Red Cat eyes South American market for USV-led EEZ surveillance
Success with the US Army’s Black Widow programme may have strengthened Red Cat’s international position, but executives believe the next growth opportunity lies in uncrewed surface vessels.
-
![The FDI frigate: a growing success story with more opportunities to come]()
The FDI frigate: a growing success story with more opportunities to come
Designed as a multi-role frigate with both anti-submarine and air defence capabilities, Naval Group’s medium-sized FDI frigate increasingly stands out as a success story in an industry wrought with delays.
-
![US weighs offshore warship production due to industrial limits]()
US weighs offshore warship production due to industrial limits
A Pentagon push to procure warships from Japanese and South Korean shipyards could reshape allied naval industrial strategy, but critics warn the approach risks hollowing out the domestic base Washington is seeking to restore.
-
![Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA]()
Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA
The accelerated delivery of the final Flight IIA destroyer, USS Patrick Gallagher, showcases the payoff of years of workforce investment and process reform at Bath Iron Works, with the lessons feeding into Flight III production.
-
![Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development]()
Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development
Ukraine’s battlefield has rewritten the rules of uncrewed systems development. For Syos Aerospace, real-time operator feedback, lean serial production and a system-of-systems philosophy are central to its operating model.
