Profile
- Type
- Mobile multimission counterfire and air-surveillance radar
- Conflict side
- United States
- Origin
- United States
- Service note
- Entered U.S. Army service in the 2010s and remained in active multimission use through Operation Epic Fury.
Air Defense
AN/TPQ-53 multimission radar
The AN/TPQ-53 is a Lockheed Martin mobile active electronically scanned array radar originally fielded for counterfire target acquisition and later adapted for multimission sensing. In the United States-Iran Conflict, reporting on Operation Epic Fury credited the radar with ground-based tracking of rockets, missiles, and unmanned systems inside joint sensor networks.
- Conflict side
- United States
- Built by
- Lockheed Martin
- Built in
- United States
Service History
- In service
- U.S. Army counterfire and multimission radar service
- Used by
- United States Army
- Wars
- United States-Iran Conflict
Production History
- Designer
- Lockheed Martin
- Designed
- Development contract awarded in 2007; production baseline approved in the 2010s
- Built by
- Lockheed Martin
- Built in
- United States
- Produced
- Full-rate production approved in 2015; production and sustainment continued into the 2020s
- Variants
- AN/TPQ-53 Counterfire Target Acquisition Radar, AN/TPQ-53 Multi-Mission Radar
Specifications
- Radar type
- Mobile active electronically scanned array radar
- Coverage modes
- 90-degree and 360-degree operating modes
- Primary detections
- Rockets, artillery, mortars, unmanned aircraft, and other aerial or ground-based threats depending on software configuration
- Deployment time
- Can be deployed in under five minutes; Lockheed Martin has also described five-minute setup and two-minute teardown
- System layout
- Two-vehicle system with a mission essential group carrying the antenna and power generator and a sustainment group carrying the operations shelter and backup generator
- Army role
- Organic to brigade combat teams, field artillery brigades, and division artilleries
Conflict Usage
- United States-Iran Conflict
- Side: United StatesRole: Ground-based sensing for missile, rocket, and UAV tracking
Modern War Institute reporting on Operation Epic Fury described AN/TPQ-53 multimission radars as part of U.S. ground-based sensor networks that tracked rockets, missiles, and unmanned systems to shorten targeting cycles and improve engagements.
AN/TPQ-53 multimission radar Images
Related Weapon Systems
Bavar-373 air-defense systemLong-range surface-to-air missile systemBavar-373 is Iran's road-mobile long-range surface-to-air missile system, developed by the Aerospace Industries Organization and upgraded in 2022. In this archive it represents Iran's top domestic long-range air-defense layer, which remained in active U.S.-Iran conflict reporting during the April 2026 exchange of air-defense claims.
Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar system / C-RAMLand-based close-in weapon systemCounter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar system (C-RAM), also known as the land-based Phalanx Weapon System, is a U.S. fixed-site air-defense suite built around a 20 mm rapid-fire gun, sensors, and fire control to intercept rockets, mortars, and small drones. In the United States-Iran Conflict, U.S. forces used it around Baghdad to defend a diplomatic facility against drone and rocket attacks.
Coyote counter-UAS interceptor / droneCounter-UAS interceptor droneThe Coyote is a combat-proven, rail-launched counter-UAS effector from RTX/Raytheon. In the United States-Iran Conflict, U.S. forces used it to help defend Gulf air bases against short-range drone attacks, while the family continues to evolve into launched-effects variants..jpg?width=480)
Ghadir early-warning radarHF over-the-horizon early-warning radarIran's Ghadir early-warning radar is a fixed-site HF over-the-horizon surveillance system used to watch air approaches and maritime traffic around the Strait of Hormuz. In the United States-Iran Conflict, U.S. forces struck Iranian radar sites at Goruk and Qeshm Island after an Iranian drone launch, highlighting the network's role in Iran's air-defense posture.
Iranian anti-aircraft artilleryGun-based short-range air defense artilleryIranian anti-aircraft artillery is an aggregate category for gun-based air-defense systems in Iranian service, including ZU-23-2/Mesbah 23 mm weapons, Oerlikon-derived 35 mm Samavat guns, and older heavy-caliber systems. In the United States-Iran Conflict, open-source reporting connected these guns to Operation Epic Fury as low-altitude point-defense threats, strike targets, and attempted fire against U.S. aircraft.
Khordad-15 air-defense systemMedium-range surface-to-air missile systemKhordad-15 is Iran's road-mobile medium-range surface-to-air missile system, unveiled in 2019 as part of the Islamic Republic's domestic air-defense layer. Source coverage describes it as a truck-mounted Sayyad-3 launcher with phased-array radar, and April 2026 reporting listed it within Iran's layered air-defense network during the United States-Iran Conflict, though the exact launcher used in the reported F-15E incident was not independently confirmed.Sources
What Does Landpower Bring to an Air and Naval Fight?Publisher: Modern War Institute at West Point | Note: Supports United States-Iran Conflict direct use: fielded by U.S. forces in Operation Epic Fury as AN/TPQ-53 multimission radars tracked rockets, missiles, and unmanned systems in joint sensor networks. | Accessed: 2026-06-20AN/TPQ-53 December 2019 Selected Acquisition ReportPublisher: U.S. Department of Defense | Note: Supports Army program background, counterfire mission, 90- and 360-degree coverage, fielding, and brigade/division artillery role. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Lockheed Martin AN/TPQ-53 Radar Strengthens USNORTHCOM MissionPublisher: Lockheed Martin | Note: Supports manufacturer background, AN/TPQ-53 MMR designation, open architecture, 360-degree scanning, rapid deployment, and UAS detection context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20U.S. Army Orders More Q-53 Counterfire Radars from Lockheed MartinPublisher: Lockheed Martin via PR Newswire | Note: Supports manufacturer, production, AESA radar, two-man operation, rapid setup and teardown, counterfire, and multimission air-surveillance background. | Accessed: 2026-06-20A Look Inside the U.S. Army's Counterfire Radar SystemPublisher: Qorvo | Note: Supports two-vehicle system layout, AESA background, and Lockheed Martin-Qorvo radar component context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20The AN/TPQ-53 Radar System ImagePublisher: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service | Note: Image provenance and public-domain status for the primary AN/TPQ-53 radar image from 130th Field Artillery Brigade training. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Target Acquisition Platoon Beside the AN/TPQ-53 Radar ImagePublisher: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service | Note: Image provenance and public-domain status for an AN/TPQ-53 radar maintenance image in the CENTCOM area of operation. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Joint Task Force - Southern Border AN/TPQ-53 Radar System ImagePublisher: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service | Note: Image provenance and public-domain status for a 2025 U.S. Army AN/TPQ-53 radar training image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20