16th Regiment Royal Artillery

16th Regiment Royal Artillery
Active 1947 – present
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Branch  British Army
Role Air defence
Size 6 Batteries
Part of Joint Ground-Based Air Defence Command/1 Artillery Brigade
Garrison/HQ Baker Barracks, Thorney Island
Nickname(s) The Invicta Gunners
Equipment Rapier missile
Photograph of a missile system in the foreground and the Canary Wharf skyline in the background.
Gunners from 16 Regiment, Royal Artillery, set up a Rapier FSC Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) system at Blackheath, London, on 2 May 12, as part of Exercise Olympic Guardian

16th Regiment Royal Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It currently serves in the air defence role, and is equipped with the Rapier missile. One of its Rapier Batteries is always deployed to the Falkland Islands.

History

The regiment was established in 1947 when 2nd Coast Regiment Royal Artillery was retitled 16th Coast Regiment Royal Artillery.[1] As 16th Light Air Defence Regiment it was deployed to Borneo in 1965.[1] It undertook tours in Northern Ireland during the Troubles in 1973, 1974, 1976 and 1979 and 14 Battery took part in the Falklands War in 1982.[1]

In August 2007, the Regiment relocated to St George's Barracks in Rutland from Woolwich. Its departure from the Royal Artillery Barracks where the RA had been based since 1716 was marked with a ceremony on 25 July 2007.[2]

The Regiment was part of the 2012 London Olympics Air Security Force, deploying Rapier FSC Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) systems as part of Exercise Olympic Guardian.[3]

Role

The regiment also operates the Counter Rocket, Artillery, and Mortar (C-RAM) system which destroys enemy projectiles in flight.[4]

Batteries

The batteries are as follows:[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "16th Regiment Royal Artillery". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "End of an era for historic barracks". Newshopper.co. Archived from the original on 7 August 2011.
  3. ↑ "Gunners test air defences for Olympic Games". Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  4. ↑ "Royal Artillery Careers". Ministry of Defence. Archived from the original on 2 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-18. Other operational commitments are conducted (in the tertiary role) using C-RAM - a new and highly sensitive self defence system which destroys rockets and projectiles in flight. Applicable to Gunner Rapier applicants only.
  5. ↑ "16th Regiment Royal Artillery: Battery historoes". Retrieved 10 May 2014.

External links

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