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1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery
Sgt Coulson has made himself an expert on Digitally Aided Close Air Support (DA CAS) and has delivered vital feedback to the UK Project team in charge of capability and acquisition. He was requested on Ex BOLD QUEST in France to support ongoing experimentation. His own initiative and efforts have had a tan- gible impact on developments in this area and is worthy of rec- ognition.
The Air Cell has also been heavily involved with Regimental life, taking the lead in delivering the Regimental Patrols competition in June 2023 as part of the Regimental leadership week. Which saw the Regiment deploy on a round robin of varied tactical stands over routes of up to 30km. SSgt Robson was awarded his LS&GC medal after a long and varied career within the Royal Artillery, having been a vital member of the air troop for a signifi- cant period.
It has also been a successful year for the future of the Air Troop, with 4 new individuals having completed the JTAC-C course, 2 on the TACP course and a new TACP from the Royal Dragoon Guards having joined the Regiment with L Battery. Integrat- ing seamlessly to the Regiment, they have already deployed to France on Ex MIGHTY STRIKE, an international JTAC integra- tion exercise, on Ex FLASH BANG 23-3 and support to Ex IRON TITAN. From an armoured recce background, they bring a wealth of experience to the team and have been warmly welcomed to the 1 RHA family.
Ex FLASH BANG 23, members stood next to a ZSU-23
The contemporary operating environment, highlighted by Ukraine, has shown not only the significant impact of CAS, but the dangers to air frames of operating amongst the pervasive nature of air defence and complex Anti-access / Area Denial net- works (A2AD). This has put a real focus on our training of mov- ing away from the permissive COIN environment of Afghanistan, to TTPs in contested airspace. Integrating CAS with suppression of enemy air defence (SEAD) and conducting low level attacks must be well drilled and second nature, creating difficulties for correlation of targets and requiring the JTACs to know their weapons intimately.
Ramsay’s troop personnel have been deployed on 33 domestic and international exercises this year, whilst having a constant Op CABRIT commitment. There have been amazing opportunities for travel and integration with our NATO allies, conducting var- ied and challenging training. The currency requirements mean that our soldiers must maintain a high level of professional pro- ficiency throughout the year and spend a significant amount of time deployed doing their job. A role with a lot of responsibility and freedom of action on one individual, it is a fantastic oppor- tunity and challenge for those that seek to push themselves and travel the world.
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