The AN/SPG-62 is a

continuous wave A continuous wave or continuous waveform (CW) is an electromagnetic wave of constant amplitude and frequency, typically a sine wave, that for mathematical analysis is considered to be of infinite duration. It may refer to e.g. a laser or particl ...

fire-control radar A fire-control radar (FCR) is a radar that is designed specifically to provide information (mainly target azimuth, elevation, range and range rate) to a fire-control system in order to direct weapons such that they hit a target. They are someti ...

developed by the United States, and it is currently deployed on warships equipped with the Aegis Combat System. It provides terminal target illumination for the semi-active SM-2MR/ ER and ESSM Block 1

surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-ai ...

s. It also provides illumination for the

active Active may refer to: Music * ''Active'' (album), a 1992 album by Casiopea * "Active" (song), a 2024 song by Asake and Travis Scott from Asake's album ''Lungu Boy'' * Active Records, a record label Ships * ''Active'' (ship), several com ...

SM-6 if it is used in semi-active mode. The antenna is mechanically steered, uses a

parabolic reflector A parabolic (or paraboloid or paraboloidal) reflector (or dish or mirror) is a Mirror, reflective surface used to collect or project energy such as light, sound, or radio waves. Its shape is part of a circular paraboloid, that is, the surface ge ...

, and operates at 8 to 12 GHz (X Band). The system is a component of the Mk 99 fire-control system (FCS). In accordance with the

Joint Electronics Type Designation System The Joint Electronics Type Designation System (JETDS), which was previously known as the Joint Army-Navy Nomenclature System (AN System. JAN) and the Joint Communications-Electronics Nomenclature System, is a method developed by the U.S. War Depa ...

(JETDS), the "''AN/SPG-62''" designation represents the 62nd design of an Army-Navy electronic device for waterborne fire control radar system. The JETDS system also now is used to name all

Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

electronic systems. The first units were installed on the cruiser , which was commissioned in 1983. Since then, the SPG-62 has been placed in service with many U.S. and foreign navy ships that have the Aegis Combat System. The SPG-62's role in Aegis fire control is to illuminate targets in the terminal interception phase. First, the ship's main search radars—either the

AN/SPY-1 The AN/SPY-1 is a United States Navy passive electronically scanned array (PESA) 3D radar system manufactured by Lockheed Martin, and is a key component of the Aegis Combat System. The system is computer controlled and uses four complementary an ...

or the

AN/SPY-6 The AN/SPY-6 is an active electronically scanned array (AESA) 3D radar system developed and built by RTX corporation, formerly Raytheon, and in service with the United States Navy (USN). It provides integrated air and missile defense for Flight ...

—detect and track the target. The Mk 99 FCS then launches surface-to-air missile(s) to intercept. If the interceptor missile uses semi-active radar homing (SM-2 or ESSM Block 1), it will need an external radar to illuminate its target for terminal guidance, which is where the SPG-62 comes into play. The Mk 99 FCS points an SPG-62 toward the target, and it shoots a narrow radar beam that reflects off the target. The interceptor missile's passive receiver homes in on these reflected emissions. It uses a very narrow beam of radiofrequency (RF) radiation. This accomplishes four things: # Provides very precise target tracking # Gives the AN/SPG-62 a high radar resolution, which makes it more effective in determining if there is one contact or multiple contacts # Enables the AN/SPG-62 to serve as a secondary, rudimentary

search radar This is a list of different types of radar. Detection and search radars Search radars scan great volumes of space with pulses of short radio waves. They typically scan the volume two to four times a minute. The radio waves are usually less than a ...

(in conjunction with the SPY-1 or SPY-6) # Requires a relatively low level of energy to operate (10 kW peak power on average) Because illumination is only needed for the last few seconds prior to interception, a ship can have more semi-active SAMs in the air than it has SPG-62s. In the event of a

saturation attack A saturation attack or swarm attack is a military tactic in which the attacking side hopes to gain an advantage by swarming and overwhelming the defending side's technological, physical and mental ability to respond effectively. During the Cold W ...

, the Aegis Combat System can time-share each AN/SPG-62 to serve multiple semi-active interceptors in the air at once.

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