The AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder is a U.S. mobile weapon-locating radar built to detect, track, and backplot mortar, artillery, and rocket fire for counter-battery response. Hughes developed the original system, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman supported later Firefinder upgrade paths, and Ukrainian, U.S., and coalition use kept the Q-36 relevant well after newer counterfire radars entered service.
The United States delivered two AN/TPQ-36 radars to Ukraine in November 2015, and Defense Logistics Agency reporting later specified four more counterfire radars tied to 2016 fielding support. In 2022, DoD listed 10 AN/TPQ-36 radars on April 13, three more on May 6, and three more on May 19; Netherlands and Janes reporting also support a five-radar Dutch AN/TPQ-36 transfer, while Ukrainian ArmyInform articles documented battlefield counter-battery use in 2023 and 2025.
Role detailsU.S. Army reporting from Iraq described C-RAM using AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder radar in 2006, while a 2008 brigade publication at FOB Hammer identified AN/TPQ-36 and AN/TPQ-37 radars providing warning, launch-point data, and response support against indirect fire.
Role detailsAt Forward Operating Base Kunduz in 2010, U.S. artillery soldiers operated a Q-36 Firefinder radar around the clock to watch for incoming mortars, rockets, and missiles and pass digital tracks to the tactical operations center for possible counterfire.
The Q-36 was the shorter-range Firefinder weapon-locating radar, while the AN/TPQ-37 Firefinder radar served as the larger long-range companion. The later AN/TPQ-53 multimission radar, originally tied to the Enhanced AN/TPQ-36 / EQ-36 program, became the U.S. Army replacement path for legacy Q-36 and Q-37 Firefinder radars.
The Q-36 is a sensor, not a launcher. Its battlefield value comes from locating hostile indirect-fire weapons quickly enough for artillery, command posts, or fire-direction systems to respond.
Mortars, artillery, and rocket launchers.
Selected 90-degree azimuth sectors over wider coverage by sector movement.
Computes hostile launch coordinates and can also support friendly-fire registration and adjustment.
Firefinder designations identify successive mobility and electronics configurations rather than separate battlefield roles.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| AN/TPQ-36(V)5 | Earlier truck-based configuration | FAS describes later HMMWV versions as a downsizing from 5-ton-truck configurations. Sources: FAS AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder |
| AN/TPQ-36(V)7 | HMMWV-based Firefinder | The V7 configuration moved the operations group and antenna-transceiver group onto M1097 HMMWV and trailer combinations and added self-survey capability through MAPS. Sources: FAS AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder |
| AN/TPQ-36(V)8 | Electronics-upgraded Firefinder | The V8 upgrade retained existing antenna hardware while adding a new lightweight shelter, modern radar processor, low-noise amplifier, HMMWV mobility, and 100 m remote operation. Sources: FAS AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder, Northrop Grumman AN/TPQ-36(V)8 Datasheet |
FAS lists January 1985 as the AN/TPQ-36 introduction date, matching the system's early-1980s U.S. Army and Marine Corps fielding window.
Sources: FAS AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder
The HMMWV-based V7 fielding was completed in the third quarter of 1995 after shrinking the system from larger truck configurations.
Sources: FAS AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder
ThalesRaytheonSystems announced Firefinder upgrades intended to extend service life, improve reliability, and share electronics commonality with improved Sentinel radar hardware.
Sources: Raytheon Firefinder Upgrade Release
U.S. Army reporting described a five-person artillery radar team operating a Q-36 Firefinder at Forward Operating Base Kunduz in Afghanistan.
Sources: Army FOB Kunduz Q-36
The United States delivered two AN/TPQ-36 radar systems to Ukraine at Lviv after a Ukrainian request for counter-battery capability.
Sources: Army Q-36 Delivery to Ukraine
The U.S. Army Security Assistance Command delivered additional AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder radar systems to Ukrainian armed forces and paired the delivery with training support.
Sources: Army USASAC Ukraine Q-36 Delivery
RFE/RL reported that Ukraine's Defense Ministry was using U.S.-supplied Firefinder radars to monitor cease-fire violations by Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Sources: RFE/RL Ukraine Firefinder Radars
DoD listed 10 AN/TPQ-36 counter-artillery radars in an April 13 drawdown package for Ukraine.
Sources: DoD Ukraine April 2022 Assistance
DoD listed three AN/TPQ-36 counter-artillery radars in a May 6, 2022 drawdown package for Ukraine.
Sources: DoD Ukraine May 6 2022 Assistance
A May 2022 security-assistance release added three more AN/TPQ-36 counter-artillery radars for Ukraine.
Sources: DoD Ukraine May 2022 Assistance
ArmyInform reported that a Ukrainian naval artillery brigade unit in Kherson Oblast was using AN/TPQ-36 around the clock to locate Russian artillery, rocket, and mortar fire.
Sources: ArmyInform Kherson AN/TPQ-36 Use
ArmyInform described Azov artillery reconnaissance using AN/TPQ-36 alongside acoustic sensors, UAVs, and artillery to find and attack Russian guns.
Sources: ArmyInform Azov AN/TPQ-36 Use
