Lockheed Martin begins testing first SPY-7 radar system for Japan’s Aegis-equipped vessels

The testing phase will confirm radar performance integrated with the Aegis combat system, supporting the overall ship construction and commissioning schedule. These validations are designed to ensure the system meets high standards for ballistic missile defence and integrated air and missile defence capabilities.

“By testing the complete SPY-7 radar system in a land-based facility, we’re able to verify the SPY-7 radar’s Ballistic Missile Defense and Integrated Air and Missile Defense capabilities meet warfighter needs ahead of shipboard installation, significantly reducing program deployment risk,” said Chandra Marshall, vice president and general manager at Lockheed Martin. Marshall added, “The complete SPY-7 radar system will be installed on Japan’s ASEV ships, serving as a critical component of Japan’s homeland defense.”

Following shipset 1 testing and tracking exercises, the system will be delivered to Japan in 2026, while shipset 2 will be transferred to JMOD and begin its own test and verification phase. In June, Lockheed Martin formally handed over the antennas for the first shipset, demonstrating the radar’s production maturity and commitment to timely delivery.

Internationally, Spain’s Navantia achieved full end-to-end integration of the SCOMBA combat system with SPY-7(V)2 and Aegis, following the first live track test in December 2024. Domestically, Lockheed Martin and the MDA completed Flight Test Other-26a (FTX-26a), where the Long Range Discrimination Radar successfully tracked ballistic missile targets in a complex environment.

In December 2024, the land-based SPY-7 radar, known as TPY-6, successfully intercepted a mid-range ballistic missile as part of the Aegis Guam System in Flight Experiment Mission-02. These achievements underline the system’s growing global deployment and its ability to adapt across land and sea-based defence platforms.

SPY-7 continues to expand as a scalable radar solution for multiple international partners, including Canada’s River-Class Destroyers, Spain’s F-110 Frigates, and the U.S. Aegis Guam and Long Range Discrimination Radar systems. These milestones highlight the radar’s role in delivering 21st Century Security and supporting allied nations in countering evolving missile threats.