Iraqi military now operating TPQ-49 counterfire radar

A still from the video shows an Iraqi soldier setting up an AN/TPQ-49 radar. (Iraq MoD)

The Iraqi military now has the AN/TPQ-49 radar, it was revealed on 10 February when the Ministry of Defence (MoD) released a video showing Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah visiting the Artillery Branch Directorate.

The MoD said the chief attended the official opening of the first ‘astimkan' battalion of the post-2023 Iraqi Armed Forces and was briefed on the ‘astimkan' device, a word associated with target location when used by Arabic militaries.

While the MoD did not identify the device, it released a video showing a poster for the formal handover of the TPQ-49 radar to the 1st Astimkan Battalion. One of the radars was seen being set up as part of a demonstration for Lt Gen Yarallah, who was also taken to a building marked as the Artillery Branch Directorate's simulator for electronic training, but this appeared to be incomplete.

The AN/TPQ-49 is primarily designed to detect incoming artillery fire out to a range of more than 10 km and calculate where it is coming from, thereby enabling counterfire. It can also be used to support short-range air-defence systems, a role performed by a separate branch of the Iraqi military.