The Ukrainian military has started to actively use the AN/MPQ-64 radar, gifted by the United States.
Video shared on social media confirmed that some Ukrainian military units deployed a recently received AN/MPQ-64 radar system on the battlefield.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces received AN/MPQ-64 radars from the United States as part of a military aid package.
The AN/MPQ-64, better known as Sentinel, is a 3D radar used to alert and cue Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) weapons to the locations of hostile targets approaching their front line forces. It is an X-band range-gated, pulse-Doppler radar system. Mounted on a towed platform, it can be positioned remotely from the rest of the unit, operated autonomously and communicate with the Fire Direction Center (FDC) via a wideband fiber-optic link. It can also distribute its data over a SINCGARS radio network.
The antenna uses phase-frequency electronic scanning technology, forming sharp 3D pencil beams covering large surveillance and track volume. It uses a rotating platform with a high scan rate (30 RPM) to provide 360-degree coverage. The radar is designed with high resistance to electronic countermeasures (ECM) and anti-radiation missiles (ARM).
It has a maximum range of 75,000 m (246,000 ft), and an effective range of 40 kilometers (130,000 ft).
Sentinel interfaces with the Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Battle Command System architecture, the Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control System, and the National Capital Region Integrated Air Defense Command and Control System. Sentinel also interfaces with the Counter-Rocket, Artillery, Mortar (C-RAM) Increment I system to protect friendly aircraft during engagement of incoming indirect fire.
Sentinel is undergoing modifications to further enhance its detection, classification, identification and reporting capability against UAS, RAM and cruise missiles. Additional hardware modifications will include the upgrade of the Signal Data Processor and transition to Active Electronically Scanned Array technology.
CORRECTION: Story was corrected on June 22 to note that is AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel Aerial Surveillance Radar, not AN/TPQ-36 counter artillery radar.