Designed to replace the AN/SPY-1 radar, the Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) will provide the Navy with improved detection and discrimination capability against airborne and surface targets. It will be able to perform multi-missions better and provide greater reliability. Radar Modular Assemblies are self-contained receivers and transmitters that can be stack to create any size array.
The AMDR is a modular, scalable system that can meet many mission requirements. Radar Suite Controller is part of the system. This controller will coordinate deployment of AMDR-X as well as integrate with existing AN/SPQ-9B X band radar. Adaptive Digital Beamforming improves AMDR's signal-processing capabilities by using high-powered Gallium Nitride and (GaN). The system was designed to detect and track surface or airborne targets at multiple ranges. This expanded capability allows for 360-degree coverage. The system will be integrated with Aegis Weapons System for combat management and information sharing.
The AMDR program is expected to replace the AN/SPY-1, which has been used on Navy Aegis Burke-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-class cruisers. The system can track over 100 targets at once and prioritize targets according to threat level, range, and priority. The Active Electronically Scanned Array (ASEA), antenna of AMDR is capable of attacking both airborne and surface targets. It also includes a back-end radar controller that simplifies maintenance and reduces obsolescence costs. The radar is built with Radar Modular Assemblies (RMAs) and will be stacked to fit any ship's mission requirements.
The baseline contract for the Air and Missile Defense Radar program is complete. This is the start of development of the radar system. This contract includes design work that will lead to a PDR. A process for evaluating all aspects, including hardware, of the program. The system is designed for an 8 year cycle, with software upgrades every two years.
The Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) program recently completed the Hardware Delta Preliminary Design Review (PDR) in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. This review is an important milestone in the development of the program, because it shows the maturity and effectiveness of the design. The AMDR program plans to conduct a Critical Design Review (CDR) later this year. This will include testing and evaluation schedules as well cost assessments. CDR evaluated the entire program, including hardware, software development, risk mitigation, program management, and program administration. On October 4, 2013, the AMDR program signed an Acquisition decision memo (ADM).
Raytheon received a resume order from the Navy to begin production on its Air and Missile Defense Radars (AMDR) in early 2014. The single-faced radar array of 14-foot will be installed on DDG-51 Flight III. The contractor will build the radar array in indoor facilities. It will be tested on the DDG-51 flightline in 2016.
The Air and Missile Defense Radar’s back-end controller radar is a key development component. It uses commercial x86 processors to facilitate maintenance replacement and obsolescence. It is also planned to use an open systems approach, which will allow the system to interface with the Aegis combat management system. The AMDR radar suite controller is expected to require approximately 1.2 million lines of code.