SBX turns an oil platform into a mobile missile sensor

SBX is self-propelled, though a heavy-lift ship usually carries it over long distances. Its X-band radar supplies the tracking data needed for ballistic-missile interception, especially when a missile is passing the defending ship rather than flying directly at it. A publicly stated radar range of roughly 2,000 kilometers and a displacement of about 45,000 tons indicate the scale of the sensor platform. One proposed use in January 2024 is to station a similar asset near the Red Sea, where carriers and Hawkeyes are providing coverage because too few ships are available to supply the required data. SBX uses a twin-hulled semi-submersible oil-platform design, with radar equipment occupying the place of oilfield machinery. That commercially available form supports the argument that further platforms could be built. It entered service in 2006, followed by a testing role in 2012 and periods as an active or reserve asset.