British and French gunners train together
The British Army’s 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery (7 Para RHA) has carried out a joint training exercise with France’s 35e Régiment d'Artillerie Parachutiste (35e RAP) at the Castlemartin ranges in Wales.
Exercise Gallic Marauder tested the British and French gunners’ ability to control and co-ordinate fire from each other's weapons. Fire Support Teams, who co-ordinate artillery and close air support for troops on the ground, called in fire missions from 7 Para RHA’s 105mm light guns and 35e RAP’s 120mm mortars, as well as airstrikes by French Navy Rafale fighters.
The training strengthened links between 7 Para RHA and 35e RAP as part of the Airborne Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (A-CJEF), a partnership between 16 Air Assault Brigade and 11e Brigade Parachutiste. The two brigades provide the airborne rapid reaction forces for their respective armies, and the A-CJEF has been trained and ready to deploy on operations ranging from combat missions to disaster relief since 2013.
7 Para RHA Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Justin Baker said: ‘Gallic Marauder is our critical training opportunity to develop the partnership with our French counterparts, 35e RAP, developing our understanding and confidence in each other’s kit and procedures.
‘We each bring similar capabilities and unique properties to the relationship, with our light guns and the French 120mm mortars combining to bring additional flexibility to what we can deliver together.’
More from Training
-
British Army Strategic Training Partner bidders drop from seven to four
Three of the bidding consortia have dropped out of the competition to become STP for the British Army Collective Training Service.
-
What is preventing the US Pentagon from succeeding in multi-domain scenarios?
Outstanding issues to be addressed include improving doctrine, increasing the number of joint exercises and better integrating capabilities across the services.
-
AI innovation set to revolutionise military training landscape
Artificial intelligence offers unprecedented potential to revolutionise military training, enabling agile and decisive forces.
-
Training Together: Unlocking Educational Excellence through Military and Industry Collaboration (Studio)
Military training is ultimately about people. At Capita, training programmes are built on close engagement with partners, delivering an educational approach that can adapt to individual needs, cultivate leadership – and drive wider cultural change.
-
Three A-29 Super Tucanos find new home at US Air Force Test Pilot School
Embraer’s light attack aircraft were selected by Edwards Air Force Base to join its test pilot school, following their abandonment by US Air Force Special Operations Command.
-
Enhancing Military Training Through Digital Technology (Studio)
Digital technologies offer huge opportunities for defence training. However, militaries must adopt an agile approach, placing the needs of their organisations and personnel at the centre of their efforts.