[en] A parallel plate avalanche counter with an active area of 8 x 10 cm² has been developed for the detection of heavily ionizing particles. The detector has X-Y position sensitivity and can be used in a transmission mode. A time resolution better than 180 psec (FWHM) has been obtained for heavy ions ranging from krypton to uranium. The position resolution in the X and Y coordinates is ΔX = 2 mm and ΔY = 5 mm (FWHM), respectively. Special care has been given to the construction of the detector housing, which was designed to minimize the absorption and scattering of γ rays and neutrons. Experimental results for the elastic scattering of ²³⁸U by ¹⁹⁷Au and ²⁰⁸Pb, obtained with a pair of the above detectors, are presented. (author)