47th Regiment Royal Artillery
| 47th Regiment Royal Artillery | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1947 – present |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Role | Aerial attack |
| Size | 3 Batteries |
| Part of | Joint Helicopter Command[1] |
| Garrison/HQ | Horne Barracks, Larkhill, Wiltshire |
| Nickname(s) | The Hampshire & Sussex Gunners |
| Equipment | Lockheed Martin Desert Hawk III unmanned aerial vehicles and the Thales Watchkeeper WK450 |
47th Regiment Royal Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It is equipped with Lockheed Martin Desert Hawk III unmanned aerial vehicles and Thales Watchkeeper WK450. It is currently located at Horne Barracks, Larkhill in Wiltshire.
Contents
History
The regiment was formed in 1947 when 4th Coast Training Regiment Royal Artillery was renamed 47th Coast Training Regiment Royal Artillery.[2] It was reformed as 47th Guided Weapons Regiment Royal Artillery and equipped with the Corporal missile in 1957.[2] In 1965 it was renamed 47th Light Regiment Royal Artillery and equipped with the 105mm Pack Howitzer and then deployed to Aden in 1967.[2] It saw service in Northern Ireland during the Troubles in 1973 and 1975.[2] It was re-equipped with the 105mm light gun in 1976 and renamed 47th Field Regiment Royal Artillery when it re-equipped with the Abbott gun in 1981.[2] 21 Battery deployed to the South Atlantic during the Falklands War in 1982.[2] 3 Battery and 31 Battery both took part in the Gulf War in 1991.[2] 21 Battery saw action in Bosnia in 1995 and element of 31 Battery were deployed to the Macedonia and to Kosovo in 1999.[2]
Current use
The regiment was deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan as part of Operation Herrick during 2014 operating Watchkeeper.[3] 47 RA will be the sole regiment operating the Watchkeeper UAS.[4] According to a written statement, 47 RA will utilise the Coyote instead of the Warthog vehicle on operations.[5]
Batteries
The batteries are as follows:[6]
- 10 (Assaye) Battery.
- 43 Battery.
- 31 (Headquarters) Battery.
- 74 (Battleaxe) Battery[7]
Previous Batteries
- 4 (Sphinx 1742-1993) Battery.[2]
British Army Restructuring
Under Army 2020, it moved from 1 Artillery Brigade to 1 Intelligence and Surveillance Brigade and relocated from Thorney Island to Larkhill. [8] By August 2016, it will move from 1st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade to the command of Joint Helicopter Command (JHC).[9]
References
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=783635515081477&id=299432630168437
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=783635515081477&id=299432630168437
- ↑ http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-03-16/31305/
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=783635515081477&id=299432630168437
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=783635515081477&id=299432630168437
