32nd Regiment Royal Artillery
32 Regiment Royal Artillery ("The Wessex Gunners") is a regiment in the Royal Artillery, part of the British Army and is equipped with the Lockheed Martin Desert Hawk III and PUMA 2 miniature unmanned aerial vehicles. 32nd Regiment is the only Royal Artillery unit that operates MUAS and along with the 5th Regiment Royal Artillery provides an integrated tactical and strategic; intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability.
| 32nd Regiment Royal Artillery | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1939 – present |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Role | Mini-Unmanned Aerial Systems (MUAS) |
| Size | Regiment 398 personnel[1] |
| Part of | 1st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade |
| Garrison/HQ | Roberts Barracks |
| Nickname(s) | The Wessex Gunners |
| Equipment | Desert Hawk III PUMA 2 |
| Website | 32 Regiment Royal Artillery |
As part of 6th Division, under the immediate command of 1st Intelligence & Surveillance Brigade (1ISR), 32nd Regiment supports the Reactive Force elements of the British Army and provides dedicated MUAS capability to the 3rd (UK) Division.[2]
History
The regiment has its origins in 7th Medium Brigade which was raised in 1927, evolved into 7th Medium Regiment and served throughout the Second World War.[3]
In 1947, the 32nd Regimental Headquarters (RHQ) was retitled as the 45th Field Regiment[4] and the 7th Medium Regiment RHQ was retitled as the 32nd.[5]
In 1966, the regiment became a Heavy Regiment with M107 175 mm self-propelled guns.[5] In 1972, it became a light Regiment, equipped with 105mm Light Guns; then, in 1978, a Guided Missile Regiment equipped with Swingfire anti-tank missile.[5] In 1985, it became a heavy regiment again with M107 guns based in Dortmund.[5] During the Gulf War, the regiment was equipped with M110 self-propelled 203 mm howitzers and served as part of the Divisional Artillery Group supporting the 1st Armoured Division.[5]
In December 2016 it was announced that the Regiment would be disbanded and its personnel redistributed to other parts of the British Army.[6] In the British Army's Soldier Magazine October 2020 edition, it was confirmed the regiment would not disband but will continue to support the field army in the Mini-Unmanned Aerial Systems (MUAS) support role, using the Puma and Wasp AE (All Environment) mini unmanned air system.[7]
As part of the Future Soldier Programme, the regiment will gain an addition MUAS battery by 2023 in the form of 42 (Alem Hamza) Battery.[8][9]
Batteries
The Regiment currently comprises the following batteries:[10][11]
- 46 (Talavera) Headquarters Battery
- 18 (Quebec 1759) Battery
- 21 (Gibraltar 1779–83) Air Assault Battery (Supporting 16 Air Assault Brigade)[12][11]
- 22 (Gibraltar 1779–83) Battery
References
- ^ "Army – Question for Ministry of Defence". p. 1. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ^ "6th Uk Division 1st intelligence surveillance & reconnaissance brigade at MoD.com".
- ^ "32 Regiment Royal Artillery". Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ "45th Regiment RHA". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Young, A. "32nd Regiment RHA". British Army units 1945 on. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ^ "Strategic Defence and Security Review - Army:Written statement - HCWS367". www. parliament.uk. UK Hansard. 15 December 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ "Flying High". Soldier Magazine. No. October 2020. 1 October 2020. p. 29. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ^ "The Integrated Review and Future Soldier - RA Association". www.thegunners.org.uk. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
- ^ "Future Soldier Guide" (PDF). Ministry of Defence. p. 78. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
- ^ "32nd Regiment Royal Artillery – Our History". British Army. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
- ^ a b "32 Regiment Royal Artillery". army.mod.uk. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ . 2 November 2017. Archived from the original on 2 November 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
External links
- 32 Regiment Royal Artillery
- 32 Regiment RA in action in the 1991 Gulf War