Lockheed Martin has delivered Japan’s first shipset of four AN/SPY-7(V)1 radar antennas, which will be mounted on the nation’s first Aegis System Equipped Vessel (ASEV), as confirmed by the Ministry of Defense.
Two ASEVs are under construction—Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is building the first, and Japan Marine United Corporation is handling the second. The ships are expected to join the fleet in 2028 and 2029. Featuring SPY-7 radar, the ASEVs will be capable of identifying, tracking, and intercepting various threats, from ballistic and anti-air missiles to hypersonic projectiles, while filtering out false targets.
The radar antennas, provided via Direct Commercial Sale, were handed over through Mitsubishi Corporation following successful testing and validation.
