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An SPS-48E radar antenna (the large square panel) aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71).
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| Country of origin | United States |
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| Type | 3D Air-search |
| Frequency | E band and F band (2 to 4 GHz) |
| Range | 220 nmi (410 km) |
| Altitude | 100,000 ft (30,000 m) |
| Diameter | 17 ft (5.2 m) by 17 ft 6 in (5.33 m) |
| Azimuth | 0-360° |
| Elevation | 0-65° |
| Precision | 690 ft (210 m) elevation 1/6° azimuth |
| Power | 35 kW (avg) |
The AN/SPS-48 is a US naval phased array three-dimensional air search radar system manufactured by ITT Corporation. It was a key component of the New Threat Upgrade (NTU) and is still used on some US Navy ships such as Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, Wasp-class amphibious assault ships and Tarawa-class amphibious assault ships. It is the predecessor of the AEGIS system currently in use on Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-class cruisers; the AN/SPY-1 phased array radar on cruisers and destroyers, but had been a primary air search sensor for anti-aircraft warfare capable ships. Even today it is capable of handing off target information to shipboard self defense systems such as Sea Sparrow and RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile.
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A three-dimensional radar is mounted on a base that allows for 360 degrees of rotation. The target can be located at a given azimuth. The range of the target is also identified due to the time it takes the beam to go out and back to the receiver. What makes this radar system different is its ability to detect the height of the target above the surface of the water. Exact details are classified, however this ability is known. With these three pieces of data the radar's central processor has the ability to place the target in an X,Y,Z, 3 dimensional space.
For the SPS-48 in particular, the antenna is mechanically rotated to scan azimuth but beams are electronically steered to cover elevation. The 4,500 lb (2,000 kg) antenna is capable of rotating at 7.5 or 15 rpm.
According to ITT, the system has a range exceeding 200 nmi (370 km) and can track targets up to 69 degrees in elevation. The AN/SPS-48E is capable of providing target range, bearing and altitude information using a frequency-scanning antenna using a range of different frequencies in E band and F band with three power modes: high, medium and low. SPS-48 radars stack multiple beams in a train of pulses at different frequencies. The beams scan different elevation areas, allowing the stack to cover up to 69 degrees of elevation.
With the air targets exact 3D location it is available for interception/removal via either the ship's weapon system or through linked weapons platforms located elsewhere.
The AEGIS SPY-1B/D radar are electronically scanned, while the SPS-48E is frequency scanned in elevation, and mounted on a rotating joint that spins the radar in azimuth.