UK participates in Exercise Dragon
The UK's Lead Armoured Battle Group (LABG) is participating in a NATO exercise hosted by Poland, the UK Ministry of Defence announced on 19 October. The five-week, two-part exercise started in September and will run until the end of October.
Around 800 UK troops and over 130 British Army vehicles, including Challenger 2 main battle tanks and Warrior infantry armoured fighting vehicles, are participating in Exercise Dragon.
The first phase - a UK-only exercise - was conducted at the Drawsko Pomorski Training Area. The second phase, also involving Canada, the US, Germany and Poland, is being conducted at the Orzysz Training area.
The exercise allows the armed forces from participating NATO nations to practice and test multinational, joint combined arms manoeuvres at the divisional level. The UK’s contribution predominately involves the army. Up to 10,000 troops from the five participating nations are involved in the exercise in total.
Michael Fallon, UK Defence Secretary, said that the exercise will help preparations for NATO’s new rapid reaction taskforce, for which the UK will provide troops every year into the next decade.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Land Warfare
-
![Romania opens the chequebook and reorganises as it watches Russian aggression]()
Romania opens the chequebook and reorganises as it watches Russian aggression
Romania is retiring old systems, some Soviet, and replacing them with western equipment from countries such as Sweden and Turkey and boosting existing modern fleets.
-
![Milrem picks Texelis for partnership in drive to develop large UGV]()
Milrem picks Texelis for partnership in drive to develop large UGV
Milrem has delivered or is building a total of 200 Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System UGVs and has chosen Texelis as partner in its effort to develop a UGV.
-
![Sweden takes delivery of first M3 amphibious bridge and ferry system]()
Sweden takes delivery of first M3 amphibious bridge and ferry system
The most recent nation to join NATO has joined other member nations in using the M3 system.
-
![CV90 delivery to Slovakia imminent]()
CV90 delivery to Slovakia imminent
Slovakia is undergoing a radical refresh of its equipment, like many central and eastern European countries, and the arrival of new vehicles will form a substantial part of this.
-
![Mortar mobility: Patria’s TREMOS takes aim at the modern battlespace]()
Mortar mobility: Patria’s TREMOS takes aim at the modern battlespace
In conversation... Patria’s Lauri Pauniaho talks to Shephard's Gerrard Cowan about how high mobility levels are essential for mortar systems in the face of modern counter-battery fire, and how a new platform-agnostic module can combine existing vehicles and mortar barrels into a cost-effective new weapon system.
