AN/SPY-1

The AN/SPY-1 (Army Navy Joint Electronics Type Designation System / S - Water (surface ship), P - Radar, Y - Surveillance (target detecting and tracking) and Control (fire control and/or air control), model number) is a US naval radar system manufactured by Lockheed Martin. The array is a passive electronically scanned system and is a key component of the Aegis Combat System. The system is computer controlled, using four complementary antennas to provide 360 degree coverage. The system was first installed in 1973 on the USS Norton Sound and entered active service in 1983 as the SPY-1A on USS Ticonderoga. The -1A was installed on ships up to CG-58, with the -1B upgrade first installed on Princeton in 1986. The upgraded -1B(V) was retrofitted to existing ships from CG-59 up to the last, CG-73.

Description

The first production model of SPY-1 series is SPY-1, forms the baseline configuration of all subsequent SPY-1 radars. SPY-1A has four antenna arrays in two separate deckhouses, with each antenna array containing 148 modules. Each module contains up to 32 radiating element and phase shifters, and modules are paired to form transmitting and receiving sub-arrays, which are grouped into 32 transmitting and 68 receiving arrays. Transmitting arrays are driven by eight transmitters, each with four Crossed-field amplifiers (CFAs), and each CFA produces a peak power of 132 kW. There are a total of 4096 radiators, 4352 receivers and 128 auxiliary elements on each antenna array. The power requirement of SPY-1A is four times that of AN/SPS-48 and SPY-1 is controlled by AN/UYK-7 computer.