The US Navy is moving forward with plans to solicit proposals for its Future X-Band Radar (FXR), a next-generation sensor system designed to enhance the surface fleet’s ability to detect and track incoming missile threats.
The solicitation will invite contractors to design, build, integrate, and test FXR Engineering Development Models and deliver multiple low-rate initial production units. The work is expected to run from 2026 to 2033.
The planned contract structure includes a mix of cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and fixed-price incentive arrangements for development, engineering support, and procurement, as well as line items for spare parts, data rights, and ancillary costs.
Interested contractors must hold a top secret facility clearance with sensitive compartmented information eligibility and be US-based entities or subsidiaries.
What is the Future X-Band Radar?
The FXR is intended to replace the aging AN/SPQ-9B radar, which has been in service since the 1990s across amphibious ships, destroyers, cruisers, and carriers.
It is designed as a next-generation, high-resolution X-band radar capable of operating in challenging electronic warfare environments, providing rapid target acquisition and precision tracking for both defensive and offensive naval operations.
FXR will also integrate with existing ship combat systems and other sensor networks to improve situational awareness and enable coordinated fleet responses.
X-band technology operates at a higher frequency, unlike the broader-coverage S-band SPY-6(V) radars. This offers sharper resolution and greater sensitivity to track small and fast-moving threats such as anti-ship cruise missiles, low-flying aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
“Having an X-band radar prototype in a naval-like environment serves as a test and evaluation playground to support current and future active sensor thrusts,” Naval Surface Warfare Center lead engineer Said Darham said in April 2022.
