Pentagon’s No.1 weapons supplier Lockheed Martin Corp has announced that Spain’s future F-110 frigates will be equipped with SPY-7 maritime radar.
The F110 class also known as the Bonifaz class are a multi-purpose, anti-submarine class of Aegis combat system-fitted heavy frigates under development for the Spanish Navy. The project is being co-developed by the Spanish Ministry of Defence and the state-owned company Navantia.
Earlier in December 2019, Lockheed Martin signed a contract with Navantia to equip five new F-110 multimission frigates and their land-based test site – with Lockheed Martin’s first naval installation of its solid state S-band SPY-7 radar.
As noted by the company, the SPY-7 is the most advanced maritime radar in the world that can detect even the most emerging threats – ensuring naval security for its customers and partners.
SPY-7 uses gallium nitride (GaN) as its material building block, which allows for better cooling of the radar – leading to increased and sustained performance. Instead of one array scanning across an area, the radar is made up of thousands of mini scanners, enabling solid state coverage of the surveillance area. This subarray-based structure makes the radar easily upgradeable as threats evolve.
Following the U.S. government’s designation of their variant as SPY-7(V)1, the U.S. government has declared Spain’s SPY-7 radar as SPY-7(V)2.
“This designation is a direct reflection of the maturity and capability of Lockheed Martin’s digital solid-state radar technology,” – Paul Lemmo, vice president and general manager at Lockheed Martin.
Spain’s world-class SPY-7 naval radar will go to sea in 2026 aboard the first F110 frigate to defend Spain’s warfighters from the latest anti-air warfare threats.