Raytheon, a business unit of RTX (NYSE: RTX), has installed the first SPY-6(V)4 radar array at the Surface Combat Systems Center at Wallops Island, Virginia, in support of the U.S. Navy's Flight IIA Destroyer modernization program.

The Wallops Island facility is a land-based test site located over open water. It will be used to test the radar and its power and combat system interfaces before the system is installed aboard USS Pinckney (DDG 91), the first destroyer scheduled to receive the SPY-6(V)4 backfit. Initial testing is set to begin later in 2026 and continue through mid-2028.

DDG 91 is scheduled to be available for the backfit installation from late 2026 to 2028. SPY-6(V)4 is one of four variants in the SPY-6 radar family and is described as the only variant designed specifically for Flight IIA Destroyers.

"By leveraging the Wallops test site, we'll be able to integrate SPY-6(V)4 with its dedicated power system before it reaches the ship, reducing the amount of testing needed on DDG 91," said Barbara Borgonovi, president of Naval Power at Raytheon. "That means less time in the shipyard, more time dedicated to the mission, and a smoother path for future backfit ships."

Other SPY-6 variants are already aboard two commissioned U.S. Navy ships, with the system installed on 11 additional ships currently undergoing testing ahead of commissioning. The Navy expects SPY-6 to be deployed on more than 50 ships over the next decade.

Raytheon states it has invested $800 million to modernize its radar manufacturing facilities and expand production capacity, with a stated goal of doubling SPY-6 output by 2028. The Wallops effort involves the Navy, NASA's Wallops team, and other industry partners.