AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder radar

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AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder is a mobile radar system in the manufactured by Hughes Aircraft (later acquired by Raytheon). The system is a "weapon-locating radar", designed to detect and track incoming artillery and rocket fire to determine the point of origin for counterbattery fire. It is currently in service at brigade and higher levels in the United States Army and United States Marine Corps. The radar is typically trailer mounted and towed by a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) ("HUMVEE").

[edit] Operation

The AN/TPQ-36 is an electronically-steered radar, meaning the radar antenna does not actually move while in operation. The radar antenna may however be moved manually if required. The radar scans a 90-degree sector for incoming rocket, artillery and mortar fire with a height allowance of 80 mils. Upon detecting a possible incoming round, the system verifies the contact before initiating a track sequence, continuing to search for new targets. The incoming round/rocket is tracked during its initial upward/launch trajectory (i.e., the linear portion of its flight path) prior to reaching apogee. A computer program analyzes the track data and then extrapolates the round's point of origin. This calculated point of origin is then reported to the operator with map coordinates, thus allowing friendly artillery to direct counterbattery fire towards the enemy artillery. The system has a reported maximum range of up to 24 kilometers, whilst in practice targets beyond this effective maximum range (25 km and above) have been tracked and recorded. The system may also be operated in a friendly fire mode to determine the accuracy of counterbattery return fire, or for conducting radar registration or mean point of impact calibrations for friendly artillery.

[edit] Nomenclature

Per the Joint Electronics Type Designation System (JETDS), the nomenclature AN/TPQ-36 is derived thusly:

"AN/" indicating a system nomenclature derived from the JETDS
"T" for 'transportable', indicating it is carried by a vehicle but is not an integral part of said vehicle (compare with 'V' for vehicle-mounted).
"P" indicating a RADAR.
"Q" for a special-purpose radar, in this case counterbattery.
"36" is an arbitrary numerical designator