16 Air Assault Brigade

[The Armchair Soldier]

Here's a thread on the British Army's rapid response airborne formation, 16 Air Assault Brigade.

[vor033]

Just a few older well known photos to get going

British Soldiers from the 5th Airborne Brigade (Now 16 Air Assault) during the NATO intervention in Kosovo 12th June 1999 - MOD/Crown copyright

[vor033]

The 16 Air Assault brigade Pathfinder Platoon during a British and French Airborne Forces joint exercise on April 25, 2013 in Stranraer, Scotland. Exercise 'Joint Warrior' sees British and French airborne forces demonstrate their readiness to be deployed together as the 'Intermediate Combined Joint Expeditionary Force' ( i-CJEF) on contingency operations, ranging from disaster relief to war fighting.

[vor033]

Skills test for rapid reaction force snipers

Snipers from the British Army’s rapid reaction force have tested their skills against each other.

Snipers from 16 Air Assault Brigade’s infantry units grouped together on the Stanford Training Area (STANTA) in Norfolk this week. As well as hitting targets at ranges of up to 1,200 metres by day and night, the snipers were tested on close quarter shooting, stalking and their observation and concealment skills.

Among the soldiers taking part were snipers from 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment, based at Tern Hill in Shropshire, and Colchester-based 2nd and 3rd Battalions The Parachute Regiment and The Pathfinders.

Snipers fulfil a vital and enduring role on the battlefield, in terms of intelligence-gathering, target identification and eliminating high-value targets. They work in pairs, with the more experienced acting as the spotter, using high quality optics to sight targets and judge wind and elevation to guide the shooter, who is equipped with the powerful and accurate L115A3 rifle.

A 2 PARA sniper, who cannot be named for security reasons, said: “Being a good sniper is about applying to a very high standard the basic skills learnt by every infantry soldier – marksmanship, navigation, observation and field craft.”

Photographer Corporal Andy Reddy; Crown copyright.

[just-me-again]

can you tell me what those wei]rd blocks are on the side of the susats.

[raven111]

And now my YouTube recommendations are full of stupidity from the tin foil hat brigade.

[ArmChairCivvy]

Just-me, blocks? I can only see the rotary dials, presumably for windage and elevation (ballistic drop) adjustment. And you can actually use them with gloves on, maybe I have only used cheat hunting sides, but the dials tend to be so small that you have to take the glove off.
- for the spray&pray guys pre-zeroing is the trick

CHEAP HUNTING SIGHTS that was meant to be... is it too early in the morning, or does this site have an active typing "aid" switched on?

[raven111]

Just-me, blocks? I can only see the rotary dials, presumably for windage and elevation (ballistic drop) adjustment. And you can actually use them with gloves on, maybe I have only used cheat hunting sides, but the dials tend to be so small that you have to take the glove off.
- for the spray&pray guys pre-zeroing is the trick

CHEAP HUNTING SIGHTS that was meant to be... is it too early in the morning, or does this site have an active typing "aid" switched on?

I think he means these:

[just-me-again]

yep those but what the hell are they?

[raven111]

I mean it looks like some sort of laser sight or designator, but I don't know what those looked like in the late 90s.

[Opherrick]

They are the old sight unit for when the SA80 use to fire a rifle grenade attached to the end of the barrel

[wirralpete]

Read that the UK based Gurkha battalion had rejoined 16AA Brigade increasing it's infantry orbat to 3 battallions...
Does this mean a reestablishing of the ability to deploy a full brigade rather than battlegroup size is in the offing in the near future?

http://forces.tv/42840759

[Gabriele]

Read that the UK based Gurkha battalion had rejoined 16AA Brigade increasing it's infantry orbat to 3 battallions...
Does this mean a reestablishing of the ability to deploy a full brigade rather than battlegroup size is in the offing in the near future?

http://forces.tv/42840759

It is extremely unlikely that it will go that far, since supporting elements have been cut down to a binary structure, and would have to be rebuilt. There is no manpower margin, as well as no funds, unless the army cuts back elsewhere.

[The Armchair Soldier]

Engineers have parachuted into their first major exercise since their Regiment’s name was changed to reflect their airborne role and heritage.

23 Parachute Engineer Regiment jumped into Exercise Eagle Sapper as it rehearsed its role providing close combat engineering to 16 Air Assault Brigade, the British Army’s rapid reaction force. The exercise placed the unit’s 400 Regular and Reserve soldiers on a mission to support an ally’s army facing the threat of an insurgency backed by a hostile neighbour.

The serials began with the Regiment, which recently changed its name from 23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault), parachuting into the troubled region as a show of force. The troops then spread out across Salisbury Plain to build bridges across rivers, establish water supply points capable of providing 40,000 litres of drinking water every day and construct defensive positions.

[ArmChairCivvy]

I think moving the battalion over is just a recognition of the difficulty in keeping up readiness with two.

Of course there is third one in SFSG, but with too much double-hatting there will be an impact on readiness (both are part of the fast reaction force).

[marktigger]

the Brigade used to have the Royal Irish and the Argyll & Sutherland highlanders rotating through as well so it had 4 bns to call upon.

[vor033]

British Paratroopers Conduct Operation 'Southern Beast' In Afghanistan - British Army soldiers from the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment conduct strike operation Southern Beast on August 1, 2008 in Maywand District in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. The British Army soldiers from the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment spearheaded a strike operation in the Maywand District of the Kandahar Province, setting the conditions for a permanent ISAF presence to support the Afghan National Government in their fight against the Taliban. Striking within one of Afghanistan's major opium producing areas the Paratroopers were looking for weapons, drugs, and individuals related to the Taliban. During the operation about seventy kilograms of opium was seized and some weapons were recovered.

[vor033]

British Paratroopers from the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment on duty as a quick reaction force get ready to rescue their injured fellows shot by a British Army Apache Helicopter while on patrol and under a Taliban attack on July 9, 2008 in Gibraltar FOB (Forward Operating Base) in Upper Gereshk Valley, Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

On July 9, 2008 at 12:27 Afghan time, a British patrol requested fire support from a British Apache when they encountered enemy forces near FOB Gibraltar. After engaging one enemy position, the Apache fired upon another position which the crew believed to be held by enemy forces. It would appear that the British forces were mistaken for the enemy and as a result three members of the patrol were seriously wounded and six more were classified as walking wounded. The seriously wounded personnel were moved by helicopter to Camp Bastion medical facilities. Two members of personnel remain in hospital and one member of personnel has gone back to the UK for further treatment.

[vor033]

British Paratroopers from the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment take part in an operation to search three compounds and look for weapons on July 1, 2008 in Salavat, Panjawi Province, Afghanistan. The 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment conducted a joint operation with Canadian-led Task Force Kandahar, U.S.-led Task Force Paladin, Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police ANP) in the village of Salavat in the Province of Panjawi to search three compounds, of which one was a mosque, to seize weapons and fight against the Taliban. According to the military, during the operation about ten Taliban were killed and 200lbs of explosives confiscated.

[vor033]

British Paratroopers from the 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment take part in an operation to search three compounds and look for weapons on July 1, 2008 in Salavat, Panjawi Province, Afghanistan. The 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment conducted a joint operation with Canadian-led Task Force Kandahar, U.S.-led Task Force Paladin, Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police ANP) in the village of Salavat in the Province of Panjawi to search three compounds, of which one was a mosque, to seize weapons and fight against the Taliban. According to the military, during the operation about ten Taliban were killed and 200lbs of explosives confiscated.

[vor033]

British paratroopers from 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment secure the Kandahar football stadium following a treat for suicide bombers attacks on June 18, 2008 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. British Paratroopers conducted operation 'Daor Bukhou'by flying in hundreds of paratroopers from 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment into the football stadium of Kandahar City for the first time since 2001 to provide a presence in the city to support the Afghan National Security Forces in their battle against the Taliban.

[vor033]

British paratroopers from 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment secure the Kandahar football stadium following a treat for suicide bombers attacks on June 18, 2008 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. British Paratroopers conducted operation 'Daor Bukhou'by flying in hundreds of paratroopers from 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment into the football stadium of Kandahar City for the first time since 2001 to provide a presence in the city to support the Afghan National Security Forces in their battle against the Taliban.

[vor033]

A 16 Air Assault Brigade Pathfinder steers his MC-4 parachute as he descends over Nijmegan DZ on Fort Bragg, N.C. March 17, 2015.



A 16 Air Assault Brigade Pathfinder leaps from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter flying high over Fort Bragg, N.C. March 17, 2015.



16 Air Assault Brigade Pathfinders and Green Berets from 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) sit ready to jump from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter flying high over Fort Bragg, N.C. March 17, 2015.



16 Air Assault Brigade Pathfinders, under the direction of 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) Green Berets, sit ready to jump from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter flying high over Fort Bragg, N.C. March 17, 2015.



A Soldier from 16 Air Assault Brigade Pathfinders practices actions in the air prior to his free fall jump with 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) Green Berets on Fort Bragg, N.C. March 17, 2015.



A group of Pathfinders from 16 Air Assault Brigade and Green Berets from 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) gather before their free fall jump on Fort Bragg, N.C. March 17, 2015.

[vor033]

The 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment has less than a year before it takes over as the UK's Air Borne Task Force.

It will become the spearhead for Britain's contingency operations. After years training almost exclusively for Afghanistan, the Battalion is returning to old-fashioned soldiering on the Brecon Beacons.

Video Copyright: BritishForcesNews

[The Armchair Soldier]

Paratroopers from 16 Air Assault Brigade have taken part in the largest multinational airborne exercise in Europe since the end of the Cold War.

Soldiers of C (Bruneval) Company, 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment are on Exercise Swift Response in southern Germany. The training has brought together 4,800 soldiers from 11 NATO countries to improve the ability of the alliance’s high readiness forces to operate together.
Colchester-based 2 PARA was partnered with the Italian 183° Reggimento Paracadutisti Nembo. They parachuted on to the Hohenfels Training Area from two RAF C-130J Hercules as part of a mass drop of 1,300 paratroopers from 13 aircraft.