AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder
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July 29/08: Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Support in Syracuse, NY received an $84.3 million firm-fixed-price contract to accelerate the production and delivery of the 12 Enhanced AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder Initial Production Radar Systems currently listed as options within contract W15P7T-06-C-T004. Work will be performed in Syracuse, NY, and is expected to be complete by Oct 25/10. There was one bid solicited on March 23/08, and 1 bid was received by the CECOM Acquisition Center in Fort Monmouth, NJ activity (W15-P7T-06-C-T004)

Firefinder uses radar tracking to look at the path of incoming shells, rockets, mortars, et. al., and calculate the point they were fired from. It currently comes in 2 versions. The TPQ-36 radar is specifically designed to counter medium range enemy weapon systems out to a range of 24 kilometers, while the TPQ-37 can locate longer-range systems, and even surface launched missiles, out to 50 kilometers. Michael Yon, embedded with 1-24 (“Deuce Four”) in Mosul, offered a first hand description of counter-battery radars’ effect on enemy tactics in 2005.

In September 2006, Lockheed Martin announced a $120 million contract win to provide the U.S. Army with 5 Enhanced AN/TPQ-36 radars, otherwise known as the EQ-36 Counterfire Target Acquisition Radar, to be delivered within 36 months. The EQ-36 would include a number of improvements, including 360 degree coverage capability instead of the TPQ-36’s current 90 degrees. A prototype was unveiled in October 2007 following initial testing, and a successful program would replace many of the TPQ-36 radars currently in service. The July 2008 option raises the EQ-36’s order total to 17. Over the longer term, the potential exists for an $1.6+ billion order of more than 180 radars.