Next-Level Radar: The 7 Capabilities That Set SPY-7 Apart

The SPY-7 radar represents a significant leap forward in radar technology, boasting a three-fold improvement in performance compared to current systems. As the latest generation of software-defined digital radar, SPY-7 is designed to be easily upgradeable, allowing for rapid and efficient insertion of new capabilities and techniques. This future-proof design ensures that SPY-7 will remain at the forefront of radar technology, outpacing competitors and providing warfighters with a decisive edge.

Our TPY-6 radar is built on the same cutting-edge radar technology as SPY-7. It uses the common Subarray Suite (SAS) radar building blocks as LRDR and all of our SPY-7 programs. Formally named the “AN/TPY-6” - where the “T” denotes the “Transportable” nature of the system according to the US DoD nomenclature (The “S” in SPY-7 is for “Water” or “Sea-based.”) With its 24/7 multi-mission capability, TPY-6 will revolutionize the defense landscape in Guam.

Lockheed Martin supported the Missile Defense Agency in conducting a Live Fire Test event in December 2025 where TPY-6 integrated with Aegis, and successfully engaged a Mid-Range Ballistic Missile target using a SM-3 Block IIA interceptor.

In addition to the US Long Range Discrimination Radar and Guam TPY-6, SPY-7 technology will be deployed to Japan’s Aegis System Equipped Vessel (ASEV), Spain’s F-110 Multi-Mission Frigate and Canada's River-Class Destroyer.

Lockheed Martin recently hosted the first SPY-7 Users Conference at our Moorestown, New Jersey facility bringing together government delegates from US, Japan, Spain, and Canada. This global network of international users of the SPY-7 radar system gathered at the home of SPY-7 to collaborate and discuss the latest and greatest in radar technology. It is our goal to help build a community of SPY-7 superusers who are changing the game when it comes to detecting, tracking, and taking down complex threats now, and in the future. 

The Long-Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) program, also knowns AN/FPY-X, is the backbone of the US Government’s layered homeland defense strategy, designed to safeguard the nation from ballistic missile threats. With two faces standing over 20 meters tall and wide per each, LRDR is a formidable long-range radar that provides precision metric data to enhance ballistic defense discrimination and replace existing sensors in the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS).

By combining proven solid-state radar technologies with advanced ballistic missile defense algorithms, LRDR ensures the effectiveness of ground-based interceptors and stays ahead of evolving ballistic missile threats.

The SAS is a miniature radar on its own. Like building blocks, the SAS can be connected to create a larger radar system, offering flexible deployment and easy adaptation to a variety of customer’s mission needs.  Lockheed Martin has already built over 10,000 SAS units to date. With the SAS in full-rate production, the possibilities for radar system design and deployment have never been more extensive.

Just like how the right polarized sunglasses can reduce glare on glass on the surface of water, Lockheed Martin’s SPY-7 radar is the only radar that utilizes “Polarization Diversity” to see, or not see, things to fulfill its mission. Similar technology is used on weather radars to help discriminate between rain, snow or hail.

By leveraging this principle of polarization, SPY-7 can detect and discriminate complex threats with unparalleled precision, enabling simultaneous engagement of multiple targets and empowering warfighters to respond swiftly and decisively to emerging threats.

By manufacturing critical components for the SPY-7 radar locally, we ensure confidence in the system's long-term support and sustainability. Specifically in Japan 2024, Lockheed Martin signed agreements with Fujitsu Global and NEC Corporation in support of its Industrial Cooperation goals for expanding its solid-state radar production and sustainment in Japan. The collaborations demonstrate Lockheed Martin's commitment to growing the defense workforce and further developing the production and sustainment of key components for its SPY-7 radar product line.

This approach guarantees that SPY-7 will remain a reliable and effective asset for decades to come in all customer countries, providing warfighters with the advanced capabilities they need to stay ahead of evolving threats.