WASHINGTON, 29 June 2009. U.S. Navy officials are awarding study contracts to three of the nation's top radar systems integrators as part of an effort to design the next-generation missile defense ship radar for the future CG(X) Navy cruiser and other surface warships.

The future shipboard electronics systems are called the Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) S-band and Radar Suite Controller (RSC), which will be part of a ballistic missile defense suite for several different kinds of Navy warships. The missile guidance radar system will contain an S-band radar, a X-band radar, and the RSC.

The Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington is awarding study contracts for $10 million to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Electronic Systems, Linthicum Heights, Md.; $10 million to Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems & Sensors (MS2) segment in Moorestown, N.J.; and $9.9 million to the Raytheon Co. Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) segment in Sudbury, Mass., for AMDR concept studies. The study contracts were announced Friday.

The AMDR-S will provide volume search, tracking, ballistic missile defense discrimination, and missile communications, while the AMDR-X will provide horizon search, precision tracing, missile communications, and terminal illumination. The RSC, meanwhile, will coordinate actions to keep both radars operating together.

Navy leaders are developing the AMDR to help provide theater air- and missile-defense on the CG(X). The AMDR will support long-range, exoatmospheric detection, tracking, and discrimination of ballistic missiles, as well defend surface warships against aircraft, missiles, and surface threats.

The AMDR will be a phased-array radar system with advanced clutter rejection to detect and defense against very low observable/very low flyer (VLO/VLF) threats in heavy land, sea, and rain clutter. The contractors are designing radar systems with hardware and software modularity, future technology, insertion, and open architectures.