AN/SPS-40

AN/SPS-40
AN/SPS-40 on USS Trenton
Country of originUnited States
ManufacturerLockheed Electronics Company[1]
Introduced1961[2]
Type2D Air-search
Frequency400 - 450 MHz, UHF band
RPM
  • 7.5 rpm (long-range mode);
  • 15 rpm (low flier detection mode)[3]
Range250 nmi
Diameter140" x 214"
Azimuth0-360°
ElevationVertical beam width 19°
PrecisionHoriz. beam width 10.5°
Power200 kW - 300 kW[3]

The AN/SPS-40 is a United States Navy two-dimensional, long range air search radar that is capable of providing contact bearing and range. It was replaced by the AN/SPS-49 on newer ships and on ships that received the New Threat Upgrade.

The SPS-40, being a vacuum tube design, was notoriously sensitive to the vibration from shipboard gunfire. A later redesign into a largely solid-state system not only improved its performance (cutting the number of cabinets by more than half) also featured one of the best MTI (Moving Target Indicator) units in the fleet - a rarity in the early 1970s.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference friedman-naval-radar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Natua, Frans; White, Thomas A. (April 1981). Manning of Recently Fielded Systems: Case Study of the DD-963 (Spruance) Class Destroyer (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Logistics Management Institute. pp. 3–24, 4–4. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  3. ^ a b Vaughan, Harvey D.; Amos, Phillip (1992). NAVEDTRA 12969: Shipboard Electronics Material Officer. Naval Education and Training Program, Management Support Activity. pp. 12-19–12-20. Retrieved 10 February 2023.