SECTION
XII
EXECUTION LESSON LEARNED: MANAGEMENT OF FIREFINDER RADAR WHEN ATTACHED TO A FIELD ARTILLERY BATTALION
When a FA Battalion is controlling an AN/TPQ-36 radar, the battalion must give it appropriate guidance. This includes:
- Cueing
guidance.
Commander's target criteria should be established to ensure radars are on when enemy indirect fires are received. Friendly and hostile fire modes must be balanced. Commander's target criteria (stated on Radar Deployment Order) should specify sources, in priority, that have authority to cue the radar. These sources should be able to observe incoming fires and have the means to communicate with the radar. A "rule of thumb": cue and radiate in bursts of 15 to 45 seconds. This allows the radar set to complete its clutter mapping and be illuminated long enough to acquire targets.
- Radar
locations.
Radar positions should provide a screening crest of at least 10 but no more than 30 mils tunneling to absorb side lobes, and sufficient range beyond the FLOT to acquire enemy rounds on the ascending leg of their trajectory.
- Orientation
of radar search.
Establish search azimuth and critical friendly zones should be established. Orient radars towards templated enemy artillery positions, and narrow the search fan as much as possible to reduce the probability of detection. - Survivability
constraints.
The Soviet-bloc NRS-l and NRS-X radar locating sets are ground based line-of-sight systems that can acquire FIREFINDER. Soviet aerial platforms can also locate radars. The FA S-2 must determine if these enemy locating radar systems are part of the enemy's order of battle, and position target acquisition radars accordingly to minimize the risk of detection.
Table
of Contents
Section
XI: The Field Artillery Battalion Should Contribute to the Brigade Intelligence
Effort
Section
XIII: Survey Must be Planned and Closely Supervised if the FA is to Establish
Control on a Common Grid
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