AN/TPQ-36

AN/TPQ-36
US Air Force · Public domain · source
Name	AN/TPQ-36
Caption	AN/TPQ-36 counter-battery radar
Country	United States
Type	Weapon-locating radar
In service	1970s–present
Manufacturer	Westinghouse Electronic Systems

AN/TPQ-36 is a mobile counter-battery radar system introduced in the 1970s for locating indirect-fire weapons. It provides rapid detection and location of mortar, rocket, and artillery fire to support United States Army and allied units during combat operations. The system has been employed in multiple conflicts and has influenced development of subsequent counter-battery sensors used by NATO and other partners.

Design and Development

The AN/TPQ-36 was developed by Westinghouse Electric Corporation during the post‑Vietnam modernization that involved programs led by U.S. Army Materiel Command, Ballistic Research Laboratory, and procurement offices under the Department of Defense. Initial concept work drew on lessons from engagements like the Yom Kippur War and the Tet Offensive, when the need to counter indirect fire became evident to planners at Fort Monmouth and Aberdeen Proving Ground. Fielding to units in the 1970s was directed by taskings from United States Army Forces Command and operational feedback from formations stationed in West Germany under United States Army Europe.

Design emphasized mobility on tactical vehicles such as those provided by M939 truck chassis and interoperability with command posts used by V Corps and I Corps. Engineering teams from Raytheon Technologies collaborators refined transmitter and antenna arrays to improve detection in terrains studied by researchers at Sandia National Laboratories and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Doctrine development paralleled integration with fire direction centers like those at Fort Sill and coordination with surveillance units aligned under III Corps.

Technical Specifications

The AN/TPQ-36 uses a rotating phased-array antenna operating in the C‑band to achieve high update rates and azimuth coverage suitable for tactical counter-battery missions. Electronics incorporate signal processing techniques derived from work at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and algorithms similar to those used in radars for North American Aerospace Defense Command and Federal Aviation Administration surveillance. Typical specifications include detection ranges sufficient to locate 60 mm to 155 mm projectile trajectories and time-to‑locate in tens of seconds to enable rapid counterfire by units such as Field Artillery brigades and Marine Corps artillery battalions.

Mobility allows emplacement by light tactical vehicles comparable to those used by 82nd Airborne Division and sustainment compatible with logistics practices of United States Army Materiel Command. Power systems were designed for theater operations like those in Operation Desert Storm and later conflicts including Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Crew interfaces reflect human factors standards promulgated at National Institutes of Health workshops and training curricula at Forts Leavenworth and Sill.

Operational Use and Tactics

Units employ the AN/TPQ-36 to detect incoming fire, compute probable points of origin, and cue counter-battery fire or adjustment of friendly artillery such as M198 howitzer and M777 howitzer. Tactics evolved through campaigns in Lebanon and the Balkans, informed by analysts from RAND Corporation and combat experience of brigades assigned to NATO operations. Integration with command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems used by formations like 1st Cavalry Division and 3rd Infantry Division enabled faster kill chains.

Deployment doctrine emphasizes dispersion, shoot-and-scoot, and concealment to reduce vulnerability to opposing forces like those studied in analyses of engagements with Hezbollah and insurgent groups during Iraq War. AN/TPQ-36 crews trained at institutions such as United States Army Training and Doctrine Command centers coordinate with counterbattery radars and sensors fielded by partners including United Kingdom Ministry of Defence units and Australian Army formations.

Variants and Upgrades

Over time, upgrades introduced improved signal processors, digital displays, and networking that echo modernization efforts at firms like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. Later fielded configurations incorporated parts and lessons shared with successor systems adopted by NATO allies and programs such as the AN/TPQ-37 family. Incremental improvements addressed interoperability with digitized fire control systems used by Precision Fires initiatives and force modernization programs at U.S. Army Futures Command.

Exported and license‑produced versions have been integrated into arsenals of countries including Israel, Saudi Arabia, and several members of European Union militaries, often paired with command systems from Thales Group or Elbit Systems.

Countermeasures and Limitations

Countermeasures to defeat AN/TPQ-36 involve signature management, mobility, and use of deceptive firing techniques observed in engagements involving Hezbollah and irregular forces in Afghanistan. Adversaries have attempted to exploit terrain masking in regions like the Hindu Kush and use salvo tactics similar to those studied in analyses of the Yom Kippur War to complicate trajectory solutions. Electronic warfare threats directed by actors such as state services examined in studies by International Institute for Strategic Studies can degrade radar performance, prompting development of ECCM features.

Limitations include reduced effectiveness against salvoed rocket barrages with short flight times, difficulties in dense urban areas like Basra and Aleppo, and vulnerability to targeting by counter-battery fires or precision strike platforms such as those used by Russian Armed Forces in recent conflicts. These constraints have driven training adjustments at centers like Fort Riley and acquisition of complementary sensors including counter‑UAS systems fielded by U.S. Special Operations Command.

Category:Weapon-locating radars