New Radome Installed on Sea-Based X-Band Radar, Revealing Missileโค Defense System’s Core
PEARL HARBOR, HI – Theโข U.S. military has completed the replacement of the protective radome on the Sea-Based X-Band Radar (SBX), a key component of โthe nation’s missile defense network. The radome, resemblingโ a giant golf ball, was removed last week for โขroutine maintenance, offering aโข rareโค publicโข glimpse of the powerful radar antenna beneath.
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) transferred operational โand maintenance responsibility for the โขfloating radar platformโ to the โMilitary Sealift โคCommand (MSC) in December 2011, while retaining responsibility for theโข radar itself. This marks the first time the SBX has had its โฃradome replaced โขas its deployment.
Drone Services Hawaii was contracted to document the radome’s removalโ and the installation of theโค new structure. The โcompany โwill also conduct โa fullโ exterior and interiorโข inspection, creating 3D modelsโฃ of the systemโ once installation is complete, according to Mike Elliott of Drone Services Hawaii.โข Photos of the radome being deflated and lifted by โฃa crane have circulated on โคsocial media โขplatform X.
The SBX is a self-propelled, semi-submersible โplatformโ crewed byโ U.S. โmerchant Mariners. “It is indeed a unique part of theโ U.S. missile โคdefense systemโ with a โคvery powerful radar atopโฆ,” stated Rear Admiral Benjamin Nicholson, commander of the U.S. โNavy’s Military Sealift Command.
According to the U.S. Missileโค Defense Agency, the radar’s function is to โฃ”obtain missile tracking information while an incoming threat missile is โขin flight, discriminates between the โopposed โขmissile warhead and any โcountermeasures, and provides โขthat data to โinterceptor missiles.”
The SBX currently โขoperates round-the-clock, monitoring for potential โmissile launches in the Pacificโค Ocean.A timeline for itsโ redeployment following the radome replacement has not yet been announced. The MDA previously โฃhosted a media โขtour of the platform in March 2023โ whileโค it was โขundergoing maintenance and upgrades, but โthe radar was still โcoveredโฃ by its radome at that time.