Page 101 - The Royal Lancers Chapka 2018

REGIMENTAL JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL LANCERS (QUEEN ELIZABETHS’ OWN) 99
Estonia. We arrived in the height of summer (a long away ahead of the -30C winter!) to find ourselves at a former Soviet airbase that had undergone complete refurbishment.
We were initially well supported with airframes. 661 Squadron from 1 Army Air Corps, with whom we had previously worked on Exercise NORTHERN LANCER in 2017, were winding down before the end of their tour. French Mirage jets that had flown over specifically to train with us tested the Joint Tactical Air Controller in the real-world challenge of providing a Close Air Support (CAS) provided by pilots whose English was basic at best. The log book entry everyone really wanted was the week- long B52 concentration with live ordnance which was subse- quently reduced in duration before being cancelled on the day.
While CAS opportunities were limited, the real opportunity in Estonia for the Tactical Air Control Party was to build relation- ships with our NATO partners. We had a fantastic time learn- ing from our Estonian counterparts, travelling to Latvia with members of their Joint Tactical Air Controller community, and flying to Poland for a ten-day Close Air Support concentration with the Joint Tactical Air Controllers from the US enhanced
Russian plane spotting at a museum
forward presence brigade. It was training with our NATO allies that proved to be the biggest learning experience for us all.
Deploying to Estonia may not have reaped as many Close Air Support training opportunities as we expected but everyone re- turned to the UK knowing more about the wonderful country where we stayed and having developed themselves personally and professionally while away.
For those that didn’t deploy to Estonia there were many more opportunities to be exploited elsewhere. Sergeant Stevens trav- elled to the US to conduct Digital Aided Close Air Support with the F35; a rare opportunity to work with the UK’s most advanced aircraft. Corporal Foster was the deserving lead for all Aviation activity around Salisbury Plain which he overtly used to organise as many lifts to work in every type of helicopter. 2018 concluded with the Tactical Air Control Party moving from 19 Regiment Royal Artillery to nearer home in Topcliffe, with 4 Regiment Royal Artillery, and a fresh start for 2019.
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A more sombre day at Auschwitz during the trip to Poland