The Navy has sent a report to Congress informing lawmakers that it’s poised for the integration of the new Air Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) on the next flight of Arleigh Burke-class (DDG-51) destroyers, saying it has adequately addressed the design changes that are required to install the radar on a ship that will go under construction in fiscal 2016.
The Feb. 23 report from Navy acquisition chief Sean Stackley to the House and Senate armed services committees said the Navy is well positioned to issue what’s called an “engineering change proposal,” or ECP, to the two builders of the DDG-51s that would ask them to submit plans for accommodating AMDR.
“The AMDR technology has matured, ship impacts are clearly understood, and design efforts are underway for ECP development,” the report said.
AMDR is the key feature of the next iteration of the Arleigh Burke class referred to as the Flight III versions of the destroyers. It is more powerful than the SPY-1D radar it is replacing and is capable of providing simultaneous air-warfare and ballistic missile defense.
Stackley, in a letter accompanying the report, said the ECP model is the best approach to getting AMDR into the Navy’s fleet as soon as possible.
“Given both the level of improvement of this radar over current capability and the speed at which potential air and ballistic threats are proliferating, it is imperative to field this system at the earliest practical time,” Stackley said.
Changes need to be made to the earlier Flight IIA versions of the destroyers to account for AMDR’s larger size and power and cooling requirements. Stackley said the Navy is meeting those requirements by using existing systems that are already proven in order to minimize risk.
Raytheon [RTN] is the prime contractor for AMDR, while General Dynamics [GD] Bath Iron Works and Huntington Ingalls Industries [HII] are the two builders of the ships. The Navy has already issued detailed design contracts to GD and HII.
The report also assures Congress of the viability of shifting to the Flight IIIs during a multi-year procurement arrangement for the construction of the destroyers. Congress mandated the report asking the Navy to outline the scope of the work that needs to be done.
While the first Flight III is set to get under construction in fiscal 2016, the ECP is not expected to be released until the following year, Capt. Mark Vandroff, said Wednesday at a conference outside Washington. He said the timing of the ECP allows for a sufficient amount of time to get the work done based on the construction phases for the ship.