ATP-3-09-12 Field Artillery Counterfire and Weapons Locating Radar Operations Download
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Appendix J J-4 ATP 3-09.12 26 October 2021 SITE ACCESS J-19. The WLR site should have more than one route of approach. Routes of approach should be accessible by section vehicles, free from enemy observation, and capable of being guarded by a minimum number of personnel. The quality of access must also be considered. Some essential considerations include: Accessibility during poor weather conditions. Can the position be accessed during periods of rain and snow? Positions that may deteriorate during inclement weather should be avoided to prevent stranding the WLR. Overhead clearance. Avoid locations where trees, power lines, or telephone lines may damage WLR components when entering and exiting the position. Check the clearance requirements for tunnels and overpasses to ensure section equipment does not exceed requirements. Bridges. Check the bridge classifications on routes to WLR positions. Ensure the military load classification of section equipment does not exceed the capacity of any bridge encountered along the route. Fords. Check fords to ensure they are passable to the WLR section equipment. The ATG for the AN/TPQ-36 can only ford 30 inches of water. If heavy rains are expected, some positions may become untenable because of fording restrictions. Obstacles. Check routes for current and planned obstacles. These obstacles may include road craters, tank ditches, abates, or wire obstacles. Also, check for natural obstacles such as fallen trees and rockslides. Ensure the access is sufficient to allow egress after combat has occurred. Rubble from buildings, utilities, and fallen trees should not prevent the WLR section from displacing. SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS J-20. Safety is an important consideration when operating and working around the WLR. Possible safety concerns include radiation, wind, noise, and electrical hazards. HAZARDS OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION TO PERSONNEL J-21. The hazard ranges for the AN/TPQ-36 WLR extends 5m in front of the antenna within a 1600 mils fan about the boresight for all transmitting operations. For narrow-sector azimuth scan angles less than 400 mils, an additional sector must be controlled to a distance of 30m from the antenna. J-22. For fixed beam mode, the hazard area extends to a distance of 75m in front of the WLR. The narrow- scan hazard sector usually applies to friendly fire mode operations and fixed-beam to certain maintenance operations. WIND J-23. Because of the large surface area of the AN/TPQ-36 antenna, high wind velocity can cause serious safety hazards. When wind velocity reaches a constant 52 mph (45 knots) or gusts up to 75 mph (65 knots) during operations, the antenna must be placed in the stowed position. J-24. When nonoperational, the WLR must be stowed when winds reach 65 mph (56 knots) with gusts to 100 mph (88 knots). Camouflage nets should be lowered or removed to prevent damage to equipment or injury to personnel. SECTION II – CHARACTERISTICS AND EMPLOYMENT J-25. The AN/TPQ-36 uses a search, verify, track approach to achieve an acquisition on all suspected targets. Search, verify, track requires that the WLR respond very quickly to every detection reported during search, by inserting a verify beam into the search frame. J-26. Establishing the search fence is the first step performed by the WLR for detecting an object. The WLR accomplishes this by transmitting a series of beams that conform to the terrain. Once an object penetrates the search fence, the software determines the object's speed, elevation, range, and azimuth. The software uses