British Military Current Events

[daftandbarmy]

I'll take 20 'Bacon Grills'

Military Humor - Compo Tins - Coaster Range - Set of 4

We have moved into the household products range with these items, and what a great way to display and reproduce those treasured memories of rations gone by. Cheese Posessed, and Snake & Pigmy Pie. Stick your brew or pint on one of these and raise a smile to those memories. Vinyl coated, hard...

militaryhumorstores.com

 

[daftandbarmy]

Damp chalk roads... as good as a sniper

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715088920541643018

 

[medicineman]

Damp chalk roads... as good as a sniper

https://twitter.com/x/status/1715088920541643018

Happened to me on a BFT - wasn't watching where I was going, stumbled a bit, went down on my knees and then my ruck came up and smoked me in the back of the head, whereupon I face planted and had to fight my OC, CSM, my buddy and MO off of me as well as the red colour from my face...

 

[daftandbarmy]

Happened to me on a BFT - wasn't watching where I was going, stumbled a bit, went down on my knees and then my ruck came up and smoked me in the back of the head, whereupon I face planted and had to fight my OC, CSM, my buddy and MO off of me as well as the red colour from my face...

I remain famous as 'the guy who ran into the stop sign'.

Near the end of a 10 miler I looked back, lost my bearings, and pranged into the post creating a wonderful 'shadinnnnngggggg!' noise

 

[dapaterson]

I remain famous as 'the guy who ran into the stop sign'.

Near the end of a 10 miler I looked back, lost my bearings, and pranged into the post creating a wonderful 'shadinnnnngggggg!' noise

The lack of animated MAD Magazine / Don Martin GIFs is a societal issue I was not aware of until now.

 

[daftandbarmy]

The lack of animated MAD Magazine / Don Martin GIFs is a societal issue I was not aware of until now.

 

[dapaterson]

New Army DEU enters the discussion.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Interesting flex ... I wonder if the CAF could do the same:

British Army to Facilitate National Infrastructure Defense Training for Ukraine​

The British Army has introduced a training program to aid Ukraine in protecting its critical national infrastructure (CNI) this winter from Russia’s aggression.

Led by the service’s Royal Engineers command, the initiative aims to protect civilians from damage caused by drones and missiles, which, according to the army, are among the “greatest threats” to the safety of citizens.

The two-week preparation incorporates lessons on localizing potential blast points, identification of the most vulnerable CNI, impacts of various explosives and weapon systems, and the best location of aerial and physical barrier integrations.

Program trainees will include Ukrainian professionals from the academic, energy, transport, and water sectors.

These experts are encouraged to share knowledge and past experiences to further boost the country’s CNI network resiliency.

“It is essential that Ukraine receives the support it urgently needs throughout the winter, as its civilian population faces mortal danger on a daily basis from Putin’s forces and their indiscriminate campaign of bombardment against its critical infrastructure,” UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps explained.

“The Ukrainian people have demonstrated unwavering resilience in the face of this illegal invasion and this tailored package of training will help save lives during the bitterly cold winter months, where access to reliable energy is of vital importance.”

Producing ‘Real-Life Impact’​

Instructors will comprise Royal Engineers specialist reservists who have been working with British CNI industry partners, contributing to delivering training sessions on associated elements such as military airstrips, gasworks, and port facilities.

The majority of these experiences were honed through overseas deployments, such as flood assessments in Bangladesh and earthquake damage evaluations in Nepal, the army noted.

British Army to Facilitate National Infrastructure Defense Training for Ukraine

The British Army has introduced a training program to aid Ukraine in protecting its critical national infrastructure this winter from Russia.

www.thedefensepost.com

 

[daftandbarmy]

Blimey... the Gazelle is being retired. Spent many an hour in those cabs as 'soft cargo'.

A first class bird... fast too!

Farewell to the Gazelle​

To celebrate the distinguished service history of the Gazelle helicopter, and mark its withdrawal from service at the end of this month, 5 Regt AAC will be conducting a final fly past through the UK next Monday 23rd October 2023.

The farewell flight will be departing from, stopping at or overflying, UK locations that have played an important role across the Gazelle’s service.
The Aérospatiale/Westlands Gazelle entered service 6 July 1974 and has provided valiant service to UK Defence in the UK including Northern Ireland; Germany, Hong Kong, Falklands, Iraq, Kosovo, Canada, Kenya, Belize and Cyprus.

The Gazelle has, at one time or another, served in every arm of the UK Armed Forces in training, reconnaissance, battlefield communication, direction of artillery fire, casualty evacuation and anti-tank roles.

Regarding a successor to the Gazelle, An Army spokesperson said:

“We operate a range of aircraft to meet our operational requirements and any replacement for Gazelle will be framed by the 2021 Defence Rotary Wing Strategy and evolving operational demands.”

Regarding a successor to the Gazelle, An Army spokesperson said:

“We operate a range of aircraft to meet our operational requirements and any replacement for Gazelle will be framed by the 2021 Defence Rotary Wing Strategy and evolving operational demands.”

Farewell to the Gazelle | Army Air Corps

armyaircorps.co.uk

 

[Good2Golf]

 

[medicineman]

Blimey... the Gazelle is being retired. Spent many an hour in those cabs as 'soft cargo'.

A first class bird... fast too!

Farewell to the Gazelle​

To celebrate the distinguished service history of the Gazelle helicopter, and mark its withdrawal from service at the end of this month, 5 Regt AAC will be conducting a final fly past through the UK next Monday 23rd October 2023.

The farewell flight will be departing from, stopping at or overflying, UK locations that have played an important role across the Gazelle’s service.
The Aérospatiale/Westlands Gazelle entered service 6 July 1974 and has provided valiant service to UK Defence in the UK including Northern Ireland; Germany, Hong Kong, Falklands, Iraq, Kosovo, Canada, Kenya, Belize and Cyprus.

The Gazelle has, at one time or another, served in every arm of the UK Armed Forces in training, reconnaissance, battlefield communication, direction of artillery fire, casualty evacuation and anti-tank roles.

Regarding a successor to the Gazelle, An Army spokesperson said:

“We operate a range of aircraft to meet our operational requirements and any replacement for Gazelle will be framed by the 2021 Defence Rotary Wing Strategy and evolving operational demands.”

Regarding a successor to the Gazelle, An Army spokesperson said:

“We operate a range of aircraft to meet our operational requirements and any replacement for Gazelle will be framed by the 2021 Defence Rotary Wing Strategy and evolving operational demands.”

Farewell to the Gazelle | Army Air Corps

armyaircorps.co.uk

My first helicopter ride was in one of them...thought we were going to crash at one point, as we caught a gust of wind while banking that almost flipped us over. When I first joined the Reserves, if we were on exercise, we used the British in house Gazelles as casevac birds, since we never seemed to have any Twin Huey's available from 408 or any other THS in the area.

 

[daftandbarmy]

My first helicopter ride was in one of them...thought we were going to crash at one point, as we caught a gust of wind while banking that almost flipped us over. When I first joined the Reserves, if we were on exercise, we used the British in house Gazelles as casevac birds, since we never seemed to have any Twin Huey's available from 408 or any other THS in the area.

It was fun to 'sneak up' on the bad guys in Bandit Country in the ol' Gazelle. Really good at the NoE and observation stuff

 

[medicineman]

It was fun to 'sneak up' on the bad guys in Bandit Country in the ol' Gazelle. Really good at the NoE and observation stuff

Yeah - they're really quiet when used as recce birds. Only thing I really hated about them was how low their rotor blades go...

 

[daftandbarmy]

Yeah - they're really quiet when used as recce birds. Only thing I really hated about them was how low their rotor blades go...

And their lack of resistance to close range 7.62mm fire

1978 British Army Gazelle downing - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[medicineman]

And their lack of resistance to close range 7.62mm fire

1978 British Army Gazelle downing - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I used to joke you could likely shoot it down with an airgun...

 

[Blackadder1916]

My first helicopter ride was in one of them...thought we were going to crash at one point, as we caught a gust of wind while banking that almost flipped us over. When I first joined the Reserves, if we were on exercise, we used the British in house Gazelles as casevac birds, since we never seemed to have any Twin Huey's available from 408 or any other THS in the area.

My first experience with it was in Wainwright in the 1970s, but there were other helicopters around. I got a ride because I was tasked to the Brit inf bn for the ex (Pond Jump West). By happenstance, there was a photo on flickr of helicopters on that ex.




Years later, on a Militia ex in Wainwright, the Brits came to the rescue with their Gazelle when they evacced a patient who was having an MI to Edmonton.

 

[AmmoTech90]

Worked with them a lot in Wainwright. The Brit AT and I would walk to the Milan firing point, sit down, and all of a sudden they would pop up from behind a hill, or lone tree, or tank rut, or anything not flat and drop off the Milan team.

Only helicopter I got to fly, and land. Lots of fun.

 

[Grimey]

And their lack of resistance to close range 7.62mm fire

1978 British Army Gazelle downing - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

McNab (ok...Mitchell) mentions that in one of his books. CO 2 RGJ killed. Well regarded according to Andy. Highest ranking member killed on active service, or would that have been Warrenpoint?

 

[daftandbarmy]

McNab (ok...Mitchell) mentions that in one of his books. CO 2 RGJ killed. Well regarded according to Andy. Highest ranking member killed on active service, or would that have been Warrenpoint?

CO's in helicopters directing ground activity was always a bad idea, as Vietnam proved. The AAC bods were generally excellent and didn't need much of our help in the observation role.

Having said that this poor chap might qualify as the highest ranking casualty, on the same day as the CO of the QOH at Warrenpoint ...

The IRA Assassination of Lord Mountbatten: Facts and Fallout | HISTORY

The murder of the British royal and World War II hero signaled a dark period ahead for relations between England and Northern Ireland.

www.history.com

 

[medicineman]

My first experience with it was in Wainwright in the 1970s, but there were other helicopters around. I got a ride because I was tasked to the Brit inf bn for the ex (Pond Jump West). By happenstance, there was a photo on flickr of helicopters on that ex.

View attachment 80881


Years later, on a Militia ex in Wainwright, the Brits came to the rescue with their Gazelle when they evacced a patient who was having an MI to Edmonton.

I personally called one for a POI casevac in Wainwright my last big Mo exercise before going Reg Force in '88.