Air and Missile Defense Radars (AMDR) are designed to replace AN/SPY-1 radar. They will enable the Navy to detect and discriminate surface and airborne targets better. It will also offer improved multi-mission capabilities and higher reliability. Radar Modular Assemblies, also known as Radar Modular Assemblies, are self-contained radar receivers and transmitters. They can be stacked to make any size array.
The AMDR is a modular, scalable system that can meet many mission requirements. The system includes a Radar Suite Controller that will coordinate the deployment of the AMDR-X and integrate with the existing AN/SPQ-9B X-band radar. AMDR's signal processing is enhanced with Adaptive Digital Beamforming, which uses high-powered Gallium Nitride (GaN) semiconductors to provide more advanced capabilities. The system is primarily designed to detect and track surface and airborne targets at multiple ranges, with an expanded ability to provide 360-degree coverage. The Aegis Weapons System will integrate the system to allow for information sharing and combat management on ships.
The AN/SPY-1 system, which was used on Navy Aegis Burke -class destroyers and Ticonderoga -class cruisers, will be replaced by the AMDR program. The system can track more targets than 100 at once, with target priority determined based upon threat level and range. AMDR's Active Electronically Scanned Array (ASEA) antenna is designed to attack airborne and surface targets. The back-end radar controller simplifies maintenance and lowers obsolescence cost. Radar Modular Assemblies, or RMAs (radio modular assemblies), are used in the construction of this radar. The stackable design can be adjusted to suit any ship's mission.
The Air and Missile Defense Radar Program has concluded its baseline contract. This is the beginning of developing the radar system. This contract covers design work that leads to a PDR. This is a process for evaluating every aspect of the program including software and hardware. The system is designed for an 8 year cycle, with software upgrades every two years.
The Hardware Delta Preliminary Design Review was recently completed by the Air and Missile Defense Radars, (AMDR), program. It took place 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. An AMDR program will conduct a Critical Design Review later in the year. These will include cost assessments, test and evaluation plans. The CDR evaluated all aspects of the program, including hardware and software development, risk mitigation, and program management. 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. It will consist of a single-faced 14-foot radar antenna that will not go to sea until it is installed on DDG-51 Flight III. The radar array will be built in contractor-operated 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 is designed to simplify obsolescence and maintenance replacement by utilizing commercial x86 processors. It is also designed to be open systems, which will allow the system integration with the Aegis Combat Management System. The AMDR radar suite control code will need approximately 1.2 Million lines of code.