British Military 16 Regiment, Royal Artillery acquired their new colours at a particular parade filled with pomp and ceremony at Baker Barracks on Thorney Island, befitting any regiment accepting new colours into their cost. Nonetheless, this colours parade was in stark distinction to another performed by the infantry and cavalry regiments that type the British Military. They maintain their allegiances to richly embroidered silk requirements (flags) and guidons (pennants). This being a Royal Artillery regiment means their weapons are their colours. Regimental colours have been as soon as used to establish regiments amidst the smoke and chaos of the battlefield. They have been in impact a rallying level for the troops of that regiment and as such, the colours instilled a deep sense of pleasure, loyalty, and an esprit-de-corps among the many troops. As soon as the colours have been struck (taken or withdrawn) it symbolized defeat for that regiment, consequently, the colours can be fiercely defended in any respect prices.
Nonetheless, within the case of the Royal Artillery, their weapons have been their most cherished asset, equally by no means to fall into the palms of the enemy similar to the colours of the infantry regiments and so the weapons assumed the mantle of the regimental colours. Quick ahead to 2022 and 16 Regiment Royal Artillery, being an anti-aircraft unit, has missiles as an alternative of cannons and so it’s their missile methods which are their colours. For almost 50 years it has been the venerable Rapier Missile system that has stoically protected British troopers and belongings from aerial assault. It has served in Kuwait, the South Atlantic, and possibly most visibly when it deployed to quite a few London parks to fight any safety risk in the course of the 2012 Olympic Video games. But because the Military continues to modernize its functionality, Rapier has reached its out-of-service date to get replaced by the all-new state-of-the-art Sky Sabre air protection system. So the parade assumed an odd juxtaposition between the normal pomp and ceremony one expects of such a proper army event coupled to the innovative know-how of a world-beating built-in missile protection system.
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In entrance of Lieutenant-Normal Sir Chris Tickell KBE, the inspecting officer, and a whole lot of visitors, lots of whom have been veterans of Rapier’s handed years together with engineers and technicians from the builders of Sky Sabre, Rapier was ceremonially pushed off the parade sq.. Having paid a fond farewell to Rapier, it was time for Sky Sabre to enter the event. To a specifically written piece of music aptly titled ‘Sky Sabre Fanfare’ composed and carried out by the British Military Band Tidworth, the troops on parade performed a march previous with a salute and eyes proper to the all-new Sky Sabre proudly overlooking the ceremony, now their new regimental colours. Sky Sabre marks an enormous leap ahead within the UK’s armed forces’ functionality to defend itself from quick assault jet fighters, missiles, and even air-dropped bombs. Its accuracy and agility imply it’s able to intercepting an inbound object the dimensions of a tennis ball touring at Mach 1. If that wasn’t spectacular sufficient it might do that to 24 tennis balls all touring on the pace of sound concurrently!
The entire system contains of three elements: The eyes and ears of the system is its AMB 3D surveillance radar which as beforehand talked about is fondly known as the Giraffe on account of its extending mast that helps the rotating radar. It appears out over a full 360° to a spread of 120Kms. On the coronary heart of the weapon system lies its battle administration and intelligence swimsuit. It’s the hyperlink between the radar and the missile launcher and gives very important focusing on knowledge. It additionally gives a Hyperlink 16 functionality; a tactical datalink that enables Sky Sabre to converse with Royal Navy vessels, the Royal Air Pressure alongside our allies. It means it may be built-in wholly with joint, mix, or NATO operations. Then there’s the punch – the missile itself! weighing in at 99Kg every, they’re double the burden of a Rapier with 3 times the vary. It’s the Land Ceptor Missile, reaching speeds as much as 2300mph and in a position to take out fighter plane, drones, and even good laser-guided bombs. Sky Sabre marks a brand new daybreak within the UK’s air protection functionality, not solely is the system itself such an enchancment in its accuracy and functionality, but it surely combines this with the power to combine with each the UK’s different armed forces and our allies.
