AN/TPQ-36

The AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder was developed as a mobile weapon-locating radar for field artillery and Marine units. FAS describes it as a lightweight, highly mobile radar able to detect projectiles and calculate launcher positions, while US Army support articles show the system remained important enough to require dedicated test and maintenance infrastructure. It gave commanders a faster way to answer indirect fire than visual observation or sound-ranging methods alone.

TPQ-36 is optimized for mobility and rapid counterfire. It observes selected 90-degree sectors over wider coverage, tracks the trajectory of incoming rounds, and back-calculates the origin point. This makes it especially useful against mortars and shorter-range artillery where seconds matter. The tradeoff is range and sector coverage compared with larger counter-battery radars, but its lighter footprint made it easier to deploy close to maneuver forces.

In service, TPQ-36 became a familiar counterfire sensor for US and allied forces. It supported artillery units by turning enemy indirect fire into actionable coordinates. Later systems such as AN/TPQ-53 replaced much of its role, but the older Firefinder remains historically important because it helped normalize radar-based counter-battery warfare as a standard battlefield function.