The Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) that is planned for operational service in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

in 2020 is part of the United States's Ground-Based Midcourse Defense

anti-ballistic missile An anti-ballistic missile (ABM) is a surface-to-air missile designed to counter ballistic missiles (missile defense). Ballistic missiles are used to deliver nuclear weapon, nuclear, Chemical weapon, chemical, Bioagent, biological, or conventiona ...

system. The main contractor is

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...

, under a

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

784 million contract from the Missile Defense Agency in October 2015.Alaska's Long Range Discrimination Radar on Track for 2020
Jen Judson, DefenseNews.com, 16 August 2016 LRDR is a

gallium Gallium is a chemical element with the symbol Ga and atomic number 31. Discovered by French chemist Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1875, Gallium is in group 13 of the periodic table and is similar to the other metals of the group (aluminiu ...

nitride (

GaN The word Gan or the initials GAN may refer to: Places *Gan, a component of Hebrew placenames literally meaning "garden" China * Gan River (Jiangxi) * Gan River (Inner Mongolia), * Gan County, in Jiangxi province * Gansu, abbreviated ''Gā ...

)-based,

solid-state Solid state, or solid matter, is one of the four fundamental states of matter. Solid state may also refer to: Electronics * Solid-state electronics, circuits built of solid materials * Solid state ionics, study of ionic conductors and their use ...

Active Electronically Scanned Array An active electronically scanned array (AESA) is a type of phased array antenna, which is a computer-controlled array antenna in which the beam of radio waves can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving the an ...

(AESA) early-warning radar that allows for continuous coverage, even when it is undergoing maintenance. The radar consists of individual solid state radar blocks that can be combined to scale up the size of the radar. The multi-purpose GaN device used on the prototype version of the LRDR is from the Japanese electronics company

Fujitsu is a Japanese multinational information and communications technology equipment and services corporation, established in 1935 and headquartered in Tokyo. Fujitsu is the world's sixth-largest IT services provider by annual revenue, and the la ...

, according to Lockheed Martin. Construction in Alaska for the LRDR was scheduled to begin in 2019, tentatively at Clear Space Force Station in central Alaska. In late February 2021, the Missile Defense Agency said that the radar installation was underway, with Initial Operational Capability to be achieved in 2021.MDA says Alaska-based missile defense radar will be operational in 2021
Jen Judson, DefenseNews, 2021-03-03

AN/SPY-7(V)1

The AN/SPY-7(V)1 is the official designation of an LRDR-derivative used with the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. On 30 July 2018, the Japanese government approved a plan to purchase two pairs of AN/SPY-7(V)1 for the

Aegis Ashore The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System (Aegis BMD or ABMD), also known as ''Sea-Based Midcourse'', is a United States Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency program developed to provide missile defense against short to intermediate-r ...

facility and will be installed in

Yamaguchi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Yamaguchi Prefecture has a population of 1,377,631 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 6,112 Square kilometre, km2 (2,359 Square mile, sq mi). Y ...

and

Akita Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Provinces and prefectures" in ; "Tōhoku" in . Its population is approximately 966,000 (as of 1 October 2019) and its ge ...

. The first operation is expected to start from 2025, by

Japan Ground Self Defense Force The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...

. Missile Defense Agency has also decided to use AN/SPY-7(V)1 for the

to be installed in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. Derivatives of the AN/SPY-7(V)1 will be used on the Canadian Surface Combatant and the Spanish F-110 frigate. In September 2020, AN/SPY-7(V)1 was chosen by Canada as the primary radar for its future Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) along with CMS-330 Combat Management System with

Aegis Combat System The Aegis Combat System is an American integrated naval weapons system developed by the Missile and Surface Radar Division of RCA, and it is now produced by Lockheed Martin. Initially used by the United States Navy, Aegis is now used also by t ...

. Lockheed Martin promoted this version of radar as the AN/SPY-1 refurbishment program to the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

to extend the lifespan of the

Ticonderoga-class cruiser The ''Ticonderoga'' class of guided-missile cruisers is a class of warships in the United States Navy, first ordered and authorized in the 1978 fiscal year. The class uses passive electronically scanned array, passive phased-array radar and wa ...

and

Arleigh Burke-class destroyer The ''Arleigh Burke'' class of guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) is a United States Navy class of destroyer built around the Aegis Combat System and the SPY-1D multi-function passive electronically scanned array radar. The class is named for ...

to beyond the 2040s.Lockheed Martin Advocates Accelerating Aegis, SPY-1 Upgrades
USNI.org January 10, 2017 In December 2021, the

AN/SPY-6 The AN/SPY-6, also known as the Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR), is an active electronically scanned array 3D radar under development for the United States Navy (USN). It will provide integrated air and missile defense for Flight III s. Vari ...

AESA radar from Raytheon was selected to retrofit Flight IIA ''Arleigh Burke'' destroyers; the same radar is used on Flight III ships.Justin Kat
Raytheon to start backfitting destroyers with SPY-6 radar
Breaking Defense (11 Jan 2022)

References

External links

{{United States Missile Defense Radar Early warning systems Radar networks United States Space Surveillance Network Missile defense Equipment of the United States Space Force