2014 Russia-Ukraine War

AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder radar in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

Ukraine has used U.S.-supplied AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder counter-battery radars in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War to locate Russian or Russia-backed artillery, rocket, and mortar fire and support counterfire and force protection.

Weapon profileAN/TPQ-36 Firefinder radar
SideUkraineRoleForce ProtectionReconnaissance & SurveillanceTargeting SupportTraining & Foreign Aid
AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder radar, Mobile weapon-locating counterfire radar, Electronic Warfare - 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Image source: Wikimedia Commons Ukraine Q-36 Delivery Photo

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Ukraine received two AN/TPQ-36 radars from the United States in November 2015 for counter-battery defense against rocket and artillery attacks.

Sources: Army Q-36 Delivery to Ukraine

Additional counterfire radars were repaired and fielded in Ukraine in 2016 under U.S. foreign-aid support.

Sources: DLA Tobyhanna Firefinder FMS

Ukraine was using U.S.-supplied Firefinder radars in eastern Ukraine to monitor cease-fire violations by Russia-backed separatists by December 2017.

Sources: RFE/RL Ukraine Firefinder Radars

U.S. drawdown packages in April and May 2022 listed 16 AN/TPQ-36 counter-artillery radars for Ukraine after the full-scale invasion.

Sources: DoD Ukraine April 2022 Assistance, DoD Ukraine May 6 2022 Assistance, DoD Ukraine May 2022 Assistance

A Ukrainian naval artillery brigade unit in Kherson Oblast used AN/TPQ-36 in 2023 to locate Russian artillery, rocket-launcher, and mortar firing positions.

Sources: ArmyInform Kherson AN/TPQ-36 Use

Timeline

AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder radar In 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

  1. First U.S. AN/TPQ-36 delivery to Ukraine

    The United States delivered two AN/TPQ-36 radar systems to Ukraine at a ceremony in Lviv after a Ukrainian request for counter-battery capability.

    Sources: Army Q-36 Delivery to Ukraine

  2. Additional counterfire radars fielded

    Defense Logistics Agency reporting said depot technicians followed four more counterfire radars to Ukraine in 2016 to repair and field the assets under a foreign-aid agreement.

    Sources: DLA Tobyhanna Firefinder FMS

  3. Firefinder use reported in eastern Ukraine

    RFE/RL reported that Ukraine's Defense Ministry was using U.S.-supplied Firefinder radars to monitor cease-fire violations by Russia-backed separatists.

    Sources: RFE/RL Ukraine Firefinder Radars

  4. Ten AN/TPQ-36 radars committed after full-scale invasion

    A U.S. security-assistance fact sheet listed 10 AN/TPQ-36 counter-artillery radars in the April 13, 2022 drawdown package for Ukraine.

    Sources: DoD Ukraine April 2022 Assistance

  5. Three more radars listed

    The May 6, 2022 U.S. drawdown package included three AN/TPQ-36 counter-artillery radars for Ukraine.

    Sources: DoD Ukraine May 6 2022 Assistance

  6. Three additional AN/TPQ-36 radars listed

    The May 19, 2022 U.S. drawdown package included three more AN/TPQ-36 counter-artillery radars.

    Sources: DoD Ukraine May 2022 Assistance

  7. Kherson Oblast battlefield use documented

    ArmyInform reported that a Ukrainian naval artillery brigade unit in Kherson Oblast used AN/TPQ-36 to locate Russian artillery, rocket-launcher, and mortar positions.

    Sources: ArmyInform Kherson AN/TPQ-36 Use

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

The AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder is directly documented in Ukrainian service in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through U.S. transfer records, Ukrainian battlefield reporting, and wartime assistance releases. The U.S. Army reported that two AN/TPQ-36 radar systems were delivered to Ukraine at Lviv on November 14, 2015, after a Ukrainian request for counter-battery capability against rocket and artillery attacks.

Ukrainian battlefield reporting later documented operational use. In May 2023, ArmyInform reported that a Ukrainian naval artillery brigade unit in Kherson Oblast used AN/TPQ-36 around the clock to detect Russian artillery, rocket-launcher, and mortar firing positions and help Ukrainian artillery respond.

Sources: Army Q-36 Delivery to Ukraine, ArmyInform Kherson AN/TPQ-36 Use

Timeline

The public record begins with the 2015 U.S. delivery of two AN/TPQ-36 systems to Ukraine, followed by additional U.S. support in 2016. Defense Logistics Agency reporting said two AN/TPQ-36 radars went to Ukraine in 2015 and that depot technicians followed four more counterfire radars to the country in 2016 to repair and field the assets.

Before the full-scale invasion, RFE/RL reported in December 2017 that Ukraine's Defense Ministry was using U.S.-supplied Firefinder radars to monitor cease-fire violations by Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. After February 24, 2022, U.S. assistance releases listed 10 AN/TPQ-36 counter-artillery radars in the April 13 drawdown package, three more on May 6, and three more on May 19.

Sources: Army Q-36 Delivery to Ukraine, DLA Tobyhanna Firefinder FMS, RFE/RL Ukraine Firefinder Radars, DoD Ukraine April 2022 Assistance, DoD Ukraine May 6 2022 Assistance, DoD Ukraine May 2022 Assistance

Operational role

In Ukrainian service, the AN/TPQ-36 is a sensor and targeting-support system rather than a direct-fire weapon. The documented role is to detect incoming indirect fire, calculate launch locations, and give Ukrainian units data for warning, counter-battery fire, and artillery correction.

The Kherson Oblast ArmyInform account described a Ukrainian crew changing positions for concealment while using AN/TPQ-36 to automatically determine the location of Russian artillery, rocket-launcher, and mortar positions. The same report attributed to the crew a maximum range of 24 km and described the radar as useful when paired with aerial reconnaissance and Ukrainian artillery.

Sources: ArmyInform Kherson AN/TPQ-36 Use, Army Q-36 Delivery to Ukraine

Evidence limits

The cited sources support Ukrainian possession, transfer, deployment, and operational use, but they do not establish a complete Ukrainian inventory or a continuous unit-by-unit service history. The strongest public evidence for actual battlefield use is location-specific reporting from Kherson Oblast in 2023, while the 2015, 2016, and 2022 sources primarily document deliveries and fielding support.

Sources: Army Q-36 Delivery to Ukraine, DLA Tobyhanna Firefinder FMS, ArmyInform Kherson AN/TPQ-36 Use, DoD Ukraine April 2022 Assistance, DoD Ukraine May 6 2022 Assistance, DoD Ukraine May 2022 Assistance

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Sources