The King's Royal Hussars with their Challenger 2 Tanks out on Salisbury Plain
The King's Royal Hussars
Colonel-in-Chief
1992: HRH Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, KG, KT, GCVO
The King's Royal Hussars is a British armoured regiment based in Tidworth, Wiltshire with a long history and great cavalry traditions. Equipped with the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank and the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (CVR) (Tracked).
Operations and deployments
Since the completion of recent operations in Afghanistan, the King’s Royal Hussars has returned to its primary role as an armoured regiment. This has seen it conduct Battle Group Level Training in Canada and Poland, and complete an extended cycle as the British Army’s Lead Armoured Battle Group. The Regiment was focusing on its build-up training, having already been deployed to Canada in 2017.
(All information above has been taken from Regimental web sites)
The Royal Tank Regiment
Colonel-in-Chief
HM The Queen
Formed during World War One, the Royal Tank Regiment is the oldest tank Regiment in the world, forged out of the
adversity of the First World War. Originally formed from the Machine Gun Corps, the pioneers of armoured warfare became the Tank Corps, whose numbers expanded rapidly, forming 18 battalions by
the start of 1919. In the Second World War, the Royal Tank Regiment (as it had become known) had 25 battalions fighting across the world.
The Regiment has been deployed on all major conflicts since the end of WW2. Equally comfortable on the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank
or on a Warthog or Mastiff in Afghanistan, they remain proven deliverers of excellence in mounted close combat. Their thirst for professionalism and excellence is built into their way of
life, it is their ethos.
The 1st and 2nd Royal Tank Regiments merged in August 2014 and formed what is now The Royal Tank Regiment, based in Tidworth,
Wiltshire. The Regiment consists of 3 Sabre Squadrons (AJAX, BADGER and CYCLOPS) who are equipped with 18 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks, a Command and Reconnaissance Sqn (DREADNAUGHT) and a
Headquarters Sqn (EGYPT). The Regiment also provides the British Army’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Area Survey and Reconnaissance Sqn (FALCON) who are equipped with
10 six wheeled FUCHS armoured reconnaissance vehicles and are based in Warminster.
Challenger 2 (CR2) is the British Army's main battle tank. CR2 is based on the Challenger 1 tank, which served with distinction
on operations in the Gulf War and the Balkans.
Only five percent of Challenger 2 components are interchangeable with its predecessor, which has had more than 150 major
modifications including a completely new turret, L30 CHARM 120mm gun and second generation Chobham armour.
Challenger 2's thermal observation and gunnery displays a magnified image for the commander and gunner. The commander has a
gyro-stabilised fully panoramic sight with laser range finder and thermal imager.
The gunner is equipped with a gyro-stabilised primary sight with a laser range finder and coaxially mounted auxiliary sight. The
driver's position has an image-intensifying day and night periscope, and the loader has a day sight.
Crew: 4
Length: 11.55m (gun forward)
Width: 3.5m
Height to turret roof: 2.5m
Combat weight: 62,500kg
Main armament: 120mm L30 CHARM (CHallenger main ARMament) Gun
Ammunition: 50 rounds - APFSDS, HESH, Soke (Typical)
Secondary armament: C-axial 7.62mm chain gun, 7.62mm GPMG (turret mounted)
Ammunition: 4000 7.62mm rounds
Engine: 1200bhp Perkins-Condor CV12
Maximum speed: 59kph
Manufacturer Vickers Defence Systems
(All information above has been taken from Regimental web sites)
The Royal Tank Regiment out on Salisbury Plain
26 Engineer Regiment RE
26 Engineer Regiment RE is a regiment of the British Army's Royal Engineers.
The Regiment consists of the following sub-units:
38 Headquarters and Support Squadron
8 Armoured Engineer Squadron
30 Armoured Engineer Squadron
33 Armoured Engineer Squadron.
Role and Characteristics
The role of 26 Engineer Regiment is to provide timely and effective mobility, counter mobility and survivability support to the Kings
Royal Hussars, 1 York’s, Royal Lancers, 1 Royal Welsh and 1 Scots Guards battle groups. This is conducted using three key signature armoured engineer vehicles, TITAN bridge layer, TROJAN
armoured engineer vehicle and TERRIER combat engineer tractor. The Regiment supports these battle groups in three key ways;
Live – through the provision of domestic and working accommodation with the necessary level of utilities (power, water, fuel,
sewage).
Move – supporting a force’s mobility by road, rail, air or sea, thereby enabling manoeuvre including on the
battlefield.
Fight – assist forces to fight such as reducing the enemy’s freedom of manoeuvre (i.e. counter-mobility
obstacles).
Regimental Exercises and Deployments
At the beginning of 2015 the Regiment deployed on Exercise TRACTABLE and the Combined Arms Demonstrations which are two components of
the validation of the Readiness Brigade. Exercise TRACTABLE 15 was a divisional deployment exercise designed to test the ability of the Lead Armour Task Force (LATF), comprising units from 12th
Armoured Infantry Brigade, to deploy from barracks via a centralised mounting centre (Ludgershall), to air and sea points of embarkation. It saw the movement of around 1800 personnel and
approximately 730 vehicles, including heavy armour. The exercise was designed to satisfy commanders that readiness states have been achieved and rehearse an actual deployment as part of keeping
that readiness state in a good condition.
Each Engineer Squadron provides close support to the units within the Adaptive Force, allowing them to live, move and fight within
their area of operations. More specialised capabilities are also held in the Headquarters and Support Squadron, such as a Reconnaissance Troop, Construction Design Cell, Divers, plant vehicles,
and Automotive Bridge Launching Equipment (ABLE) for General Support Bridging (GSB).
Capabilities
Each Armoured Engineer Squadron provides close engineer support to the battle groups within 1 Armoured Infantry Brigade,
predominantly with the use of combat engineer sections and armoured vehicles such as the TITAN, TROJAN and TERRIER.
This capability enables the battle groups to live, move and fight within their area of operations. More specialised capabilities are held in the
headquarters and support squadron, such as reconnaissance, construction design and survey, diving, plant and Automotive Bridge Launching Equipment for the General Support Bridge.
Engineer Regiment is Falcon (AS&R) Squadron. Members of the Royal Tank Regiment, but under command of the Engineer
Regiment, they are a specialist live agent trained, lightly armoured, all wheeled reconnaissance squadron. They are capable of operating at short notice in response to a chemical, radiological or
nuclear disaster at home or abroad, as well as independent ground manoeuvre in contested environments.
Deployments
Routinely all the squadrons within Engineer Regiment deploy to Canada, Kenya, Jordan or within the UK to train with their respective
battle groups in a combined arms environment. They provide close engineer support to a range of units, including armoured infantry, cavalry and mechanised regiments to enable the battle group
to breach or create obstacles and manoeuvre effectively across the battle space. Ever versatile the Regiment’s training also includes deploying within those regions as a construction force to build
and develop the British Army’s training areas.
As a unit at high readiness, The Engineer Regiment are ready to fight at short notice anywhere across the world, usually in support
of 1 Armoured Infantry Brigade. As a unit within 8 Engineer Brigade the Regiment is also called upon to deploy more broadly as engineer subject matter experts across the world to advise the UN, NATO
or allied armies.2
(All information above has been taken from Regimental web sites)
26 Engineer Regiment RE out on Salisbury Plain
The Scottish Gunners
19th Regiment Royal Artillery (19 Regt RA) has become The Scottish Gunners as a result of 40th Regiment Royal Artillery (The Lowland Gunners) being put into suspended animation as part of the Army 2020 restructuring process.
In addition, 38 (Seringapatam) Battery has been subordinated to 19 Regt RA.
As the only Scottish Artillery Regiment remaining, 19 Regt RA becomes The Scottish Gunners in order to continue the proud heritage of
both the Highland and Lowland Gunners and retain its links with Scotland.
The AS-90 is a 155mm self-propelled gun used by three regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Artillery (1 RHA, 19 Regt RA
and 26 Regt RA).
In trials, two AS90 guns were able to deliver a total payload of 261kg on to a single target in less than ten seconds.
An automated loading system enables the gun to fire with a burst rate of three rounds in fewer than ten seconds, an intense rate of six rounds a minute for three minutes and a sustained rate
of two rounds a minute. The gun is equipped with a recoil and hydrogas suspension system, which allows the turret to traverse and fire through a full 360°.
The AS-90 was first deployed by the British Army in 1993, which replaced the 105 mm FV433 Abbot SPG, the M109 155 mm Self Propelled
Gun and the FH-70 155 mm towed gun.
(All information above has been taken from Regimental web sites)
The Scottish Gunners
The Combined Arms Manoeuvre Demonstration
The Demonstration took place at Larkhill Down in front of an invited audience and I had the honour of being one of the
invitees.
Live rounds were used during the demonstration as my photographs show.
The demonstration was opened by Major General (now Lieutenant General) Patrick Sanders, (then the GOC of Bulford based 3rd UK
Division) and was run by Bulford based 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment, supported by local infantry, armoured, artillery, engineer units and Apache helicopters and an RAF Tornado fighter
bomber.
The Combined Arms Manoeuvre Demonstration
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