ASEV progress: Lockheed completes AN/SPY-7 antenna delivery

Lockheed Martin has completed the delivery of four antennas for the AN/SPY-7 radar system that will equip Japan’s Aegis System Equipped Vessels (ASEV), according to a July 7 press release.

This announcement follows the delivery of the first antenna in January 2025. Chandra Marshall, vice president of Multi-Domain Combat Solutions at Lockheed Martin, stated, “the successful on-time delivery of all antennas for the first ASEV showcases the maturity and scalability of the SPY-7 radar as well as production capacity.”

The antennas will be integrated onto Lockheed Martin’s Production Test Center (PTC) 2 in Moorestown, which supports the delivery of an operational system to Japan. “PTC allows for the first integration of all the subsystems of the Aegis Weapon System, including the radar, illuminators, all computing hardware, and the cabling,” Lockheed Martin states on its website. Once the tests are complete, the radar antennas will be delivered to the Japanese Ministry of Defence (MoD) for integration onto the ASEVs.

This facility allows the complete radar set to be installed and tested in the configuration it will eventually take on Japan’s ASEVs. The Japanese MoD is buying two of the ships to contribute to the country’s ballistic missile defence, alongside multiple MIM-104 Patriot air defence batteries and a complex network of radars and airborne early warning aircraft like the E-2 Hawkeye.

Each ASEV is expected to have 128 vertical launch system (VLS) cells carrying SM-3 ballistic missile interceptors and SM-6 missiles. SM-6 missiles can have a range of uses, including strikes against ships and land-based targets, as well as missile defence. They may also carry a range of surface attack missiles, like the Tomahawk cruise missile, enabling the ships to contribute to the defence of Japan’s islands with long-range strikes. The ships are expected to be commissioned between 2027 and 2029.

Calibre Comment

The ships represent an expensive project with an estimated total cost of $5.23 billion, and the procurement cost of the AN/SPY-7 radars alone comes in at $2.34 billion. The program has also received its share of criticism, with one analyst observing that two ships are typically insufficient to keep one at sea all of the time. There are also some questions around the survivability of the ships in the event of a massed missile attack. While they are well set up for ballistic missile defence, which is understandable with North Korea as a neighbour, there is less focus within the Japanese MoD on cruise missile defence.

China’s navy is well equipped with cruise missiles and could hold the ASEV and other infrastructure in Japan at risk from long ranges. In that scenario, the survivability of the ships would likely be influenced by their readiness. They would be able to intercept many of the threats fired at them; however, if a ship is not constantly ready to defend against a strike, it could find itself on the receiving end of an unexpected missile barrage and be taken out of combat very quickly.

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on July 10, 2025. Credit for the lead image is Lockheed Martin, it shows the installation of one of the AN/SPY-7 antennas on PCT-2 in the US.