SINGAPORE - Singapore has just acquired six AN/TPQ-53 weapon-locating radars.

Manufactured by defence and security company Lockheed Martin, these radars can pinpoint the firing positions of rocket and mortar launches, and can improve the accuracy of Singapore's artillery fires.

On Aug 22, Jane's Defence Weekly, a magazine that reports on military and commercial defence affairs, reported that work on the systems is expected to be completed by March 2019.

When asked, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) acknowledged that such an acquisition was made, and that these new radars will replace the existing TPQ-36 and TPQ-37 radar systems, which detect incoming artillery and rocket fire.

Colonel Lim Wei Lian, chief systems integration officer at Mindef, said: "The acquisition of the AN/TPQ-53 weapon-locating radars is part of the Singapore Army's on-going modernisation efforts.

"The new radars will be operated by the Singapore Artillery and will enhance the protection for our forces through better detection of hostile rocket, artillery, mortar firings."