Ukraine Builds Domestic Alternative to U.S. AN/TPQ-36 Radar
Ukraine has launched development of a domestically produced counter-battery radar modeled on the U.S.-made AN/TPQ-36, a system widely used by Ukrainian artillery units to detect and track incoming enemy fire.
The Gaze informs about it, referring to Defense Express.
The initiative was confirmed by Andrii Zhuravliov, Deputy Chief of Staff of Ukraine’s Rocket Forces and Artillery Command.
The project is intended to replicate the core capabilities of the AN/TPQ-36 – a mobile counter-battery radar designed to identify the launch points of enemy artillery, mortars, and rockets and rapidly relay targeting data to friendly units.
The AN/TPQ-36 can track multiple firing positions simultaneously and detect threats at distances of up to 24 kilometers, with an effective range of roughly 18 kilometers for artillery-class targets. These systems have played a key role in shortening response times and improving the accuracy of Ukrainian counter-fire throughout the war.
Zhuravliov did not specify whether the new radar will be developed solely by Ukrainian industry or in cooperation with foreign partners.
Alongside the new program, Ukraine is continuing work on upgrades to its domestically produced Zoopark-3 counter-battery radar. According to Zhuravliov, internal assessments suggest that Zoopark-3 outperforms some Western counterparts in certain parameters, while lagging behind in others. Details of the modernization effort have not been made public.
The Zoopark-3 system was developed by Ukraine’s defense industry, including enterprises under Ukroboronprom, and is designed to detect and track enemy indirect fire across active combat zones.
Ukraine’s artillery reconnaissance capabilities have expanded significantly since it first received AN/TPQ-36 radars from the United States in 2015 as part of non-lethal military assistance. Since then, additional Western systems, including larger and shorter-range counter-battery radars, have been integrated into a broader sensor network supporting real-time targeting across multiple fronts.
According to Defense Express, this layered radar architecture now allows Ukrainian forces to detect enemy fire more quickly, determine launch locations with greater precision, and strike Russian positions with improved speed and effectiveness.
As The Gaze previously reported, Ukraine is challenging global giant DJI by creating its own “sky fighters” to replace Chinese Mavic drones.
Read more on The Gaze: Ukraine’s War-Driven Defense Innovation