AN/TPQ-53 Firefinder
OEM: Lockheed Martin
First Produced: 2010
Status: Active
Role: Counter-battery target acquisition radar
Primary Operator: U.S. Army / U.S. Marine Corps
OEM Website: lockheedmartin.com
The AN/TPQ-53 is the Army's primary counter-battery radar, replacing the legacy AN/TPQ-36 and AN/TPQ-37 Firefinder systems with a single trailer-mounted active electronically scanned array. It detects incoming mortar, artillery, and rocket fire, computes the origin and point of impact within seconds, and hands the point of origin to HIMARS, Paladin, or M777 batteries for counterfire.
Lockheed Martin has delivered more than 200 Q-53 systems to the Army and allied operators, and recent software upgrades have added a secondary mission of detecting small Group 1 and Group 2 drones, positioning the radar as a node in the joint counter-UAS architecture. The system has seen operational employment in Europe, CENTCOM, and in foreign military sales to Ukraine.
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