AN/SPG-51

History

The AN/SPG-51 is an guidance radar developed for use with the RIM-24 Tartar missile. This radar was first fitted on the Charles F Adams class destroyer. The first installation was commissioned in in 1960. The SPG-51 is used mostly in combination with the Mk 74 Tartar FCS

As originally developed, SPG-51 had an transmitter that was marginal for the improved (17.5 nm range) Tartar missile. Because of that, the later SPG-51A introduced an much more powerful transmitter. SPG-51B, available from 1963 onwards, introduced speed gate filtering which allowed the radar to track targets trough clutter and at higher noise levels. Most SPG-51B's were later updated to SPG-51C standard. The C standard introduced a major upgrade to the electronics, swapping the vacuum tubes for solid state and reducing the complexity of the system to make maintenance easier and reliability higher. SPG-51D was introduced with the Tartar-D (digital Tartar) fire control system, and had an much upgraded transmitter and some modifications to the base antenna.

The SPG-51 is still in active use by many foreign navies, but has left US Navy service with the decomissioning of the Kidd class destroyers in 1999

Used on

• Charles F Adams class (Built with SPG-51, updated to SPG-51C)
• Albany class (Built with SPG-51 or SPG-51A, unknown if updated)
• Impavido class (Built with SPG-51 or SPG-51A, updated to SPG-51C)
• Mitscher class (Built with SPG-51 or SPG-51A, unknown if updated)
• T47 class destroyer (Anti-air modernisation) (SPG-51B)
• Amatzukaze (SPG-51B)
• Perth class (Built with SPG-51B, updated to SPG-51C)
• Brooke class (Build with SPG-51B, updated to SPG-51C)
• Lutjens class (Built with SPG-51B, updated to SPG-51C)
• Audace class (SPG-51C)
• Baleares class (SPG-51C)
• California class (SPG-51D)
• Tromp class (SPG-51C)
• Virginia class (SPG-51D)
• Kidd class (SPG-51D)
• Cassard class (SPG-51C)
• Luigi Durand de la Penne class (SPG-51D)

Affiliated systems

• Mk 74 Tartar FCS
• RIM-24 Tartar
• RIM-66 Standard MR

See also

WIP SPG-51C - Australian, french, german, italian, japanese and dutch navies, baleares, adams, brooke