Royal Artillery Training Centre

Royal Artillery Training Centre
Unit name	Royal Artillery Training Centre
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Training establishment
Role	Royal Artillery
Garrison	Larkhill

Royal Artillery Training Centre The Royal Artillery Training Centre is the principal training establishment for the Royal Artillery within the British Army. It provides initial and specialist instruction for personnel destined for regiments such as the 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, and corps-level formations including the Army Air Corps and the Royal Engineers when artillery support integration is required. The centre interfaces with establishments like Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, Land Warfare Centre, and training ranges in Wiltshire and Dorset.

History

Origins of the Royal Artillery Training Centre trace to artillery schools established during the Napoleonic era and formalised through Victorian reforms associated with the Cardwell Reforms and Childers Reforms. Twentieth-century expansion was driven by experiences in the First World War and Second World War, which accelerated development of gunnery instruction alongside institutions such as the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Royal Military College of Science. Post-war restructuring following the Options for Change defence review and subsequent Future Army Structure initiatives consolidated artillery training at centralised locations, linking with commands like Army Training Regiment Lichfield and bases such as Tidworth Camp. Recent decades have seen integration with NATO partners, exercises involving Exercise Joint Warrior, and doctrinal alignment with outcomes from the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Organisation and Units

The centre is organised into regimental, squadron, and training-wing elements mirroring operational formations such as 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery and the 12 Regiment Royal Artillery. Specialist wings cover subjects aligned to units like the Royal Logistics Corps and the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers for equipment sustainment training. Liaison teams coordinate with formations including the Household Division and the Field Army, while instructional staff comprise qualified instructors, standards officers, and cadre drawn from regiments such as the Royal Horse Artillery and territorial units of the Army Reserve (United Kingdom). Administrative oversight links to higher headquarters such as Headquarters Land Forces and the Adjutant-General's Corps for personnel policy.

Training Programs and Courses

Courses range from Phase 1 and Phase 2 courses to advanced courses for fire-control and targeting that reflect curricula from institutions like the Joint Services Command and Staff College. Key syllabuses include Gunnery and Fire Support, NATO artillery interoperability, indirect-fire coordination, and Air-Land Integration with instruction referencing procedures used by RAF Regiment and Royal Navy strike coordination. Specialist courses address counter-battery techniques, ballistic computation, meteorology for targeting used by units such as the Met Office when embedded, and courses in the use of systems deployed with formations like the 16 Air Assault Brigade. Senior leadership courses prepare captains and majors with doctrinal content aligned to the Defence Academy and multinational staff work taught in partnership with allies from United States Army Field Artillery School and other NATO schools.

Facilities and Ranges

The centre manages classroom complexes, simulation suites, and live-fire ranges co-located with training areas such as those used by Salisbury Plain Training Area and Dorset Aerial Gunnery Range. Facilities include digital simulation centres compatible with systems fielded by the UK MOD and coalition partners including the United States Marine Corps and German Army. Range infrastructure supports weapon systems used by regiments like 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery for artillery calibres, counter-battery measurement arrays, and telemetry similar to installations at Lulworth Ranges. Accommodation and support facilities mirror standards at major bases such as Bulford Camp and provide logistical links to depots like Derriford and supply chains interfacing with the Defence Equipment and Support organisation.

Equipment and Technology

Training covers platforms and munitions in service with regiments, including systems analogous to the AS90, the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System, and counter-battery radar analogous to the AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder. Fire-control instruction utilises digital command-and-control suites comparable to the Bowman (British Army communications system) and targeting software interoperable with NATO standards used by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Simulation technology replicates ballistics and meteorological inputs employed by the Royal Navy and RAF for joint targeting, and maintenance training aligns with practices of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and contractors such as BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin.

Notable Events and Incidents

The centre has hosted multinational exercises, demonstration shoots, and doctrinal trials alongside partners from the United States Army, Canadian Army, and Australian Army during events linked to operations such as Operation Herrick and Operation Telic post-deployment rehearsals. Safety incidents have prompted investigations overseen by bodies including the Service Prosecuting Authority and inquiries referencing procedures established after historic accidents across UK training establishments; lessons have been incorporated into changes aligned with directives from the Ministry of Defence.

Personnel and Command Structure

Command of the training centre is vested in a senior officer drawn from the Royal Artillery with staff officers seconded from units including the Royal Logistic Corps and Royal Engineers. Instructional cadres include experienced warrant officers and sergeants promoted from regiments such as the 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery and the 5th Regiment Royal Artillery, while civilian specialists collaborate from organisations like the Met Office and defence contractors including QinetiQ. Oversight and assurance link to headquarters entities such as Army Headquarters and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation to ensure training standards and estate management.

Category:Royal Artillery