Counterfire Radars

Counterfire Radars is an Army procurement line for modifying the in-service AN/TPQ-53 Counterfire Target Acquisition Radar. It falls under Other Procurement, Army, Budget Activity 02, Communications and Electronics Equipment, and Budget Sub Activity 86, Tactical Surveillance Electronic Equipment. The line supports the Army's Long Range Precision Fires modernization priority by sustaining a mobile radar that locates the origin of hostile mortar, artillery, and rocket fire. Its fiscal year (FY) 2027 request covers the AN/TPQ-53 modification-in-service line, including retrofit kits and support for fielded systems.

The AN/TPQ-53 automatically detects, classifies, tracks, and locates incoming projectiles. It addresses close-combat radar coverage gaps through a 90-degree search sector in stare mode or 360-degree coverage while rotating. Baseline Multi-Mission Radar (MMR) software also provides air surveillance, improving commanders' awareness of unmanned aerial systems. The radar exchanges information with mission command systems and the Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control (FAAD C2) node for sense-and-warn force protection; it serves Brigade Combat Teams, Field Artillery Brigades, and Division Artilleries and supports systems needing target in-flight updates.

AN/TPQ-53 MOD-IN-SERVICE LINE comprises four distinct modifications: the Distributed Digital Receiver Exciter (DDREX) retrofit, an Inertial Navigation Unit (INU) upgrade, generator and Environmental Control Unit (ECU) integration kits, and a Remote Control Display Unit (RCDU) refresh. The FY 2027 request increases as DDREX kit procurement begins, with 11 kits planned that year. It also funds interim contractor support for fielded radars, training and technical manuals, initial retrofit spares, contractor services, and production and fielding support. These activities support both the transition to the new receiver-exciter and continued operation of the existing fleet.

DDREX Retrofit replaces an obsolescent receiver-exciter with digital hardware and software intended to improve counterfire target acquisition and meet the radar's survivability Key Performance Parameter against peer and near-peer electronic attack. Building on Gallium Nitride (GaN), Signal Data Processor (SDP) 2.0, extended-range and electronic-protection work, the architecture uses waveform diversity, spectrum agility, and broader operational bandwidth. It also provides a foundation for future multifunction radar capabilities involving communications and electronic warfare. Development began in FY 2022; developmental, live-fire, and environmental qualification testing took place in FY 2025, with follow-on operational testing planned for completion in FY 2026. Lockheed Martin produces the kits in Syracuse, New York, and its depot implements the retrofit; FY 2027 procurement supports fielding beginning in FY 2030.

Inertial Navigation Unit (INU) Upgrade addresses obsolescence separately from the DDREX electronics change. The Army is designing and integrating a replacement INU with an embedded M-Code-capable Global Positioning System receiver to maintain radar performance, reliability, and supportability while complying with public law. The financial plan calls for installation of 12 units in FY 2027, followed by additional procurement and installations in later years. Lockheed Martin is the identified manufacturer, and Tobyhanna Army Depot implements the installations.

Generator/Environmental Control Unit (ECU) Modification Kits provide mounting and integration for a military-standard 10-kilowatt generator and ECU. Procurement, fabrication, installation, and storage of these kits address a condition of the radar's materiel release: warfighters must have generators and environmental-control equipment they can support organically. The FY 2027 plan procures 12 kits, with further procurement and installation scheduled in subsequent years. The Prototype Integration Facility at Aberdeen Proving Ground manufactures the kits, while the Fort Bragg Regional Support Center implements installation.

Remote Control Display Unit (RCDU) Refresh replaces aging ruggedized laptops on a five-year technical-refresh cycle. These laptops interface with and control the radar while meeting its environmental requirements, making the effort distinct from receiver, navigation, and power-system modifications. The FY 2027 plan procures 10 units, with larger refresh quantities scheduled later. MILTOPE Corporation manufactures the units, and the Fort Bragg Regional Support Center implements the refresh.

The Army identifies the counterfire radar line as necessary for active and reserve components conducting homeland defense, domestic emergency response, and military support to civil authorities. That statutory-use justification accompanies the operational case for preserving counterfire coverage, electronic-attack survivability, and supportability through the modification program.