India gets two Firefinder radars from US

NEW DELHI: The United States on Thursday delivered two Firefinder counter-battery radars to the Indian Army, which are likely to be used along the Line of Control in Kashmir, which frequently witnesses artillery duels between Indian and Pakistani forces.
The shipment, which arrived in New Delhi aboard a US Air Force C-17 aircraft, is part of a $190-million Indo-US military sales agreement, a senior US embassy official here said.
The AN/TPQ-37 radars can detect the location of enemy missile batteries and artillery formations by tracking the trajectory of projectiles fired by them.
Commenting on the functioning of the Firefinder, a US official said the radar uses separate tracking channels and traverses in sector increments through 360 degrees. The mobile radar system uses a combination of radar techniques and computer functions to detect and accurately locate artillery and rocket weapons to permit rapid engagement with counterfire. A single soldier can operate the Firefinder system.
Operator and crew training for 16 Indian Army personnel on these radar systems began in April 2003 in California.
Announcing the delivery of the two radars, US Ambassador to India Robert D Blackwill said, "US-India cooperation in defence and other high-technology areas holds much promise, and our partnership on the Firefinder radars marks a significant milestone in our burgeoning bilateral defense relationship."
According to army officials the radars are likely to be used along the 463-mile Line of Control in Kashmir.
The Indian Army stepped up efforts to obtain Firefinder radars after Pakistani forces used them to target Indian gun positions during the Kargil border conflict of 1999.
In May and November of 2002, officials of India''s Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed Letters of Agreement (LoA) to acquire 12 AN-TPQ/37 Firefinder radars in part through the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process. Delivery of the radars will be completed by September 2006, the US official said. Over 350 FireFinder radars are currently being used by 17 nations.