ATP-3-09-12 Field Artillery Counterfire and Weapons Locating Radar Operations Download
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Appendix H H-10 ATP 3-09.12 26 October 2021 Overhead clearance. Avoid locations where trees, power 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 that the bridge classification of section equipment does not exceed the load bearing capabilities of the bridge. Fords. Check fords to ensure they are passable to the WLR section equipment. 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 that 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 from a position. H-29. Safety is an important consideration when operating and working around the WLR. Possible safety concerns include radiation, wind, noise, and electrical hazards. WIND H-30. Because of the large surface area of the AN/TPQ-53 antenna, high wind velocity can cause serious safety hazards. Camouflage nets should be lowered or removed to prevent damage to equipment or injury to personnel. H-31. For standard (un-armored) cab AN/TPQ-53 Systems: Whenever wind velocity reaches a constant 55 miles per hour (mph) (48 knots) or gusts up to 78 mph (68 knots) during operations, the antenna must be placed in the stowed position. When non-operational, the WLR must be stowed when winds reach 60 mph (52 knots) with gusts to 85 mph (74 knots). H-32. For armored Cab AN/TPQ-53 Systems: Whenever wind velocity reaches a constant 76 mph (66 knots) or gusts up to 90 mph (78 knots) during operations, the antenna must be placed in the stowed position. When non-operational, the WLR must be stowed when winds reach 85 mph (74 knots) with gusts to 100 mph (87 knots). SECTION II – DETECTION, VERIFICATION, AND LOCATION METHODOLOGY H-33. The AN/TPQ-53 WLR is a mobile, radar set that automatically locates single or multiple hostile mortar, artillery, and rocket launched weapons. The AN/TPQ-53 can detect, classify, track, and determine the location of enemy indirect fire. It provides a net ready system with increased range and accuracy throughout a 1600 mil search sector as well as 6400 mils coverage for locating firing positions. The AN/TPQ- 53 systems use a track-while scan approach. Track-while scan uses a fixed timeline of search beams, which revisits every point within the WLR coverage rapidly enough to establish and maintain a track on any target that enters the radar coverage without the need for any dedicated verify beams. A variation of track-while scan, called enhanced track-while scan foregoes the use of verify beams in the same manner as pure track- while scan, but allows the use of dedicated track beams on established targets while enabling a reduction in the overall track-while scan search volume (elevation). Enhanced track- while scan is the most efficient in terms of radar timeline used per number of targets, especially in a typical mission that sees weapons fired upward from the ground through a search fence. The AN/TPQ-53 uses either enhanced track-while scan or track-while scan for its search strategy, depending on mode. This extremely efficient use of WLR resources increases the overall range coverage of the radar. H-34. AN/TPQ-53 must collect information in its search fence before it begins to track. There are no verification beams for this WLR in the 90 degree modes. A track is formed through revisits in the search fence. When a track appears to be a target of interest, the AN/TPQ-53 dynamically schedules periodic beams dedicated to tracking that specific target. In the 360 degree mode the AN/TPQ-53 is a "track while scan" radar, there are no dedicated track beams, but the extensive elevation coverage of the 360 degree search fence facilitates the location of mortars to 15km and artillery and rockets to 20km. A track can start at any height in the coverage.