Enterprise culture: EASR adapts AN/SPY-6(V)

radar technology for USN carriers,

amphibious ships
Date Posted: 27-Feb-2017

Author: Richard Scott, London

Publication: Jane's International Defence Review

Key Points
Raytheon will build, integrate, and deliver an EASR Engineering Development Model for
testing at Wallops Island
The EASR will be fielded in two variants: a single-face array rotating design for installation on
amphibious ships; and a three-face fixed array design for CVN-79 and follow-on aircraft
carriers

Leveraging architecture and technology previously developed for the US Navy's (USN's)
next-generation AN/SPY-6(V)1 S-band Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR), Raytheon is
developing a new long-range air surveillance radar to meet the ship self-defence, situational
awareness, and air traffic control (ATC) needs of the USN's future Ford-class nuclear-powered
aircraft carriers (CVNs) and major amphibious vessels.

Known as the Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR), the new active electronically scanned
array system is being developed to replace the USN's legacy AN/SPS-48 and AN/SPS-49 radars.
Both rotating and fixed-array variants are planned to be fielded from the early 2020s.

On board the Ford-class carriers (CVN-79 and onwards) the S-band EASR will be the primary air
surveillance radar supporting ship self-defence, situational awareness, and ATC. For other ship
classes, EASR will be the primary radar for self-defence and situational awareness, and the
backup radar for ATC.

The EASR requirement was born out of the need to find a surveillance radar for CVN-80, the
future USS Enterprise . This ship - the third CVN-78 carrier - was originally slated to receive the
same dual-band radar (DBR) suite - comprising the Raytheon AN/SPY-3 X-band Multifunction
Radar (MFR), and the Lockheed Martin AN/SPY-4 Volume Search Radar (VSR) - fitted to USS
Gerald R Ford (CVN-78) and originally specified for the future USS John F Kennedy (CVN-79).

The DBR had originally been developed for the DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class guided-missile
destroyer, of which up to 32 ships were once planned. However, the decision to truncate the
DDG-1000 programme after just three ships, and the subsequent move to eliminate the VSR from
these units as a cost reduction measure (with the MFR instead receiving a limited volume search
capability) left CVN-78 and CVN-79 as the only ships receiving the AN/SPY-4 installation.

With the economies of scale once promised by the DBR programme now lost, the Program
Executive Officer (PEO) for Aircraft Carriers in Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) sought a
new radar for CVN-80 and follow-on ships. This led to work across the USN to understand how
existing, non-developmental radar technology could be repurposed to meet the needs of carriers
and large-deck amphibious ship classes as both a forward fit and a backfit.

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information contained herein is from sources considered reliable but its accuracy and completeness are not warranted, nor are the
opinions and analyses which are based upon it, and to the extent permitted by law, IHS shall not be liable for any errors or
omissions or any loss, damage or expense incurred by reliance on information or any statement contained herein.
The Office of Naval Research (ONR), under its Affordable Common Radar Architecture (ACRA)
programme, had already been exploring technologies relevant to a single radar architecture -
fieldable in both rotating and fixed-array variants - able to replace the USN's ageing inventory of
long-range surveillance radars. ACRA was itself built upon the ONR's prior Digital Array Radar
concept, which had focused on developing a modular and loosely coupled system, with
well-documented interfaces, to reduce costs, take advantage of commercial technologies, and
leverage technology previously developed for AMDR.

Bringing these various stands together, the EASR acquisition programme took shape. Prior to
moving forward with an acquisition programme, the ONR in November 2013 awarded Northrop
Grumman a USD6 million, 18-month study contract to examine how the technology implemented
in its existing AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) could be evolved to meet the
EASR requirements. A similar USD6 million, 18-month ONR study contract was placed with
Raytheon in June 2014, just nine months after the company had been selected to develop and
build the AN/SPY-6(V)1 AMDR for the DDG-51 Flight III destroyer.

In both cases, industry was asked to perform risk reduction work to demonstrate whether scaled
adaptations of their respective G/ATOR and AMDR radar system architectures could satisfy
'adjacent' EASR mission requirements in order to replace the existing AN/SPS-48 and AN/SPS-49
air surveillance radars. One key aspect of the studies was the need to show that a demonstrably
common radar architecture could support both rotating and fixed-array versions.

The rotating variant of EASR will equip USS Bougainville (front of image) and follow-on LHA 8
amphibious ships; the fixed-face variant will be fitted into CVN-79 (shown behind) and subsequent
carriers. (Raytheon)
1682800
By the time a draft Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued in April 2015, PEO Aircraft Carriers
had accelerated its fielding plan such that the EASR programme was now required to deliver to
CVN-79 in 2023 (leaving CVN-78 as the only DBR-fitted carrier). Furthermore, it had been
determined that the first ship to receive an EASR radar fit would be the future USS Bougainville
(LHA 8) in the 2021 timeframe.

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information contained herein is from sources considered reliable but its accuracy and completeness are not warranted, nor are the
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The full RFP for the EASR engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase was
released in August 2015. Although Northrop Grumman and Raytheon had previously received
EASR study and demonstration contracts from the ONR, NAVSEA placed no restrictions on other
bidders responding to the solicitation. In the event, only Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems
submitted a response, and in August 2016 the company was awarded a USD92.06 million,
42-month EMD contract under which it is working to develop, build, integrate, and deliver an EASR
Engineering Development Model (EDM) for testing at the Surface Combat System Center, Wallops
Island, Virginia. The EMD contract, expected to be completed by February 2020, includes
production options for 16 radars which, if exercised, could bring the cumulative value of the
contract to USD723 million.

At this stage of development, the EASR preliminary technical data package is still being assessed
by the government agencies that determine nomenclature; this will be assigned in due course in
accordance with MIL-STD-196F, Joint Electronics Type Designation Automated System.

"The EASR is intended as the next-generation surveillance radar for the US Navy's carriers and
big-deck amphibs," said David Washburn, Raytheon's EASR director/programme manager. "It will
be capable of simultaneous anti-air warfare, anti-surface warfare, and air traffic control. It will also
provide simultaneous weapon support functions, and provide electronic protection, and
environmental awareness."

He added, "The navy wanted an advanced NDI [non-developmental item] active electronically
scanned array radar. Our solution is a scaled variant of SPY-6 ... we are leveraging what we have
done on AMDR and extending that across the fleet."

Two versions of EASR will be fielded: Variant 1 is a rotating single-face phased-array design for
installation on amphibious ships, such as new-construction America-class multipurpose assault
ships (LHA-8 and after), the planned 11-ship LX(R) amphibious transport dock class, and potential
backfit to Nimitz (CVN-68) carriers; Variant 2 is a three-face fixed-array design slated for CVN-79
and follow-on aircraft carriers.

According to Washburn, Raytheon has leveraged the scalability of the software and hardware from
the back end of AMDR. "The EASR is built on the very same 2x2x2 ft [0.61x0.61x0.61 m] Radar
Modular Assembly [RMA] 'building block' previously developed for the AN/SPY-6(V)1," he said.
"Each RMA is essentially a self-contained radar containing high-powered GaN [Gallium Nitride]
transmit/receive modules [a total of 24 Transmit/Receive Integrated Multichannel Modules
(TRIMMs), each with six transmit/receive modules] and a fourth-generation Digital Receiver
Exciter.

EASR adapts and scales the RMA originally developed for the AN/SPY-6(V) AMDR. While AMDR
uses 37 RMA building blocks, the EASR uses nine RMAs. (Raytheon)
1682801

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IHS. Content reproduced or redistributed with IHS permission must display IHS legal notices and attributions of authorship. The
information contained herein is from sources considered reliable but its accuracy and completeness are not warranted, nor are the
opinions and analyses which are based upon it, and to the extent permitted by law, IHS shall not be liable for any errors or
omissions or any loss, damage or expense incurred by reliance on information or any statement contained herein.
"So EASR is in effect a SPY-6 adapted and scaled for additional platforms and missions. Whereas
AMDR uses 37 RMA building blocks, the EASR uses nine RMAs to deliver a radar with the same
sensitivity as the AN/SPY-1(V) radar currently fitted to Aegis cruisers and destroyers.

"We have significant commonality with AMDR in terms of development, test, and support,"
Washburn added. "But what really drives the total ownership cost benefit is common spares,
maintenance, and training on the radar back end. We have also designed a highly maintainable
radar using only four different LRU [line replaceable unit] types and just two tools."

The EASR EDM will be a production-representative Variant 1 single-face array to support

land-based testing; the rotating positioner of the EDM will have the capability to be
stopped/secured to facilitate demonstration of fixed-array operation.

"The [rotating single face] Variant 1 EASR is specified to the same space, weight, and power as
the AN/SPS-48," said Washburn. "In fact, it will be a somewhat more compact antenna - the array
face being only 20% the size of the [AN/SPS-]48 - with a co-mounted IFF antenna installed on top.

"The unique aspects of the rotator are the drive mechanism and the rotary joint. [Radio frequency
signals] will be relayed below decks over a fibre-optic link," he added.

EDM design work is currently completing, with build-up starting later in 2017. "We will deliver to
[the USN's Surface Combat Systems Center] Wallops Island, Virginia, in the third quarter of 2018
for live testing," Washburn said.

Follow-on production options provide for up to 10 Variant 1 systems and up to six Variant 2 radars.
EASR is scheduled to be installed on the USS Bougainville and subsequent America-class ships,
USS John F Kennedy , USS Enterprise , and future Ford-class carriers, and LX(R) amphibious
ships.

"If you look longer term, taking into account backfit opportunities for other amphibious ship
classes, we could be talking about over 30 radars in total," Washburn pointed out. "The navy will
have to do a cost/benefit analysis to understand the cost efficiency of backfits based on remaining
ship life, but we see EASR as a very affordable solution offering far greater capability than the
AN/SPS-48 or AN/SPS-49. The amphibs operate in a high clutter/high EMI [electromagnetic
interference] environment, where the EASR will offer appreciable benefits."

COMMENT
The EASR programme has enabled Raytheon and the USN to leverage prior investment in AMDR
and its underpinning technology. It has also demonstrated the intrinsic scalability of the AMDR
architecture, most notably the RMA 'building block', for other applications; as well as the EASR,
Raytheon sees the same architecture being scalable to suit export requirements.

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consent, with the exception of any internal client distribution as may be permitted in the license agreement between client and
IHS. Content reproduced or redistributed with IHS permission must display IHS legal notices and attributions of authorship. The
information contained herein is from sources considered reliable but its accuracy and completeness are not warranted, nor are the
opinions and analyses which are based upon it, and to the extent permitted by law, IHS shall not be liable for any errors or
omissions or any loss, damage or expense incurred by reliance on information or any statement contained herein.