Feb 2017

Vol 28 Issue 11

+
AIRBORNE
VEHIC
F CU LE
BRITO
ISH S
FORCES
EXERCISE COLIBRI PT.2
AJAX ARMY
&A
AFV RES

ALLIED FORCES
COMBINED ARMS LIVE-FIRE
UK RESILIENCE
POLICE EXERCISE CONQUER ‘16
COALITION FORCES

WWW.COMBATANDSURVIVAL.COM
7TH ROYAL AUSTRALIAN REGIMENT
KIT & CAMO
AUSTRALIAN MULTICAM

british forces

GURKHAS!
W
Issue 11 £4.25
olume 28 Is

AMBOOR COMPANY, 2ND ROYAL GURKHA RIFLES

Volume

BRITAIN’S LEADING INDEPENDENT MILITARY MAGAZINE

 P52
COMBAT
+SURVIVAL
Vicky Lindsay, Magazine Director

EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
Bob Morrison, Editor
Carl Schulze, Senior Correspondent
Gordon Arthur, Far East Correspondent
Jason Polley, Survival Specialist
Mike Gormley, Gear Tester
Robert Shaw, Security Consultant
Ian Young, Scale Models
Neal Molyneaux, Designer

ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT
Moira Spencer, Sales Director
Fran Smith, Admin & Accounts Manager

MARKETING DEPARTMENT
Ciaran Jarosz, Head of Marketing
Daryl Crowther, Marketing Manager
PAGE 09: British Forces - AIR ASSAULT GURKHAS
Published by Hit Media Ltd
Carl Schulze reports from Southern France as Amboor Company of
Printed & Distributed by
2 RGR y by helicopter Warners Group Publications PLC
The Maltings, West Street, Bourne
PAGE 17: Airborne Forces - COLIBRI IL Pt.2 PE10 9PH
Carl Schulze concludes coverage of the recent multinational
invitational exercise in France Subscriptions and Back Issue Orders to:
COMBAT & SURVIVAL Magazine
which is published by:
PAGE 24: Allied Forces - ANAKONDA ‘16 LIVEX Hit Media Ltd, 1st Floor Turnbridge Mills,
Bob Morrison reports from Poland on the Combined Arms Live Fire Quay Street, Hudderseld, HD1 6QT
Exercise at Drawsko Pomorskie Tel: (01484) 437319
ISSN: 0955-9841
PAGE 30: Armour File - AJAX & ARES To Subscribe or order a digital edition
visit www.combatandsurvival.com
Bob Morrison discusses the new British Army family of CVR(T)
replacement armoured vehicles Advertising:
moira.spencer@hitmedialtd.com
PAGE 34: Kit & Camo - AUSTRALIAN
AN MU
M
MULTICAM
ULT
L IC
CAM
AM Editorial:
Editor
Edi tor
o ial
a:e editor@combatandsurvival.com
ditor
dit o
Gordon Arthur focuses on the new MultiCam
am
mdderivative
erriv
e ivat
a iv
at ve ©Copyright
©Copyr
©Co pyrrigh here
ightt h er and abroad of all
ere
camouage pattern on issue Down Under material
materi
mat eri
rial
a is hel
al held
he
eld bby the publishers. No
reproduction
rep
prodductctionn is permitted whatsoever
ion
on
without
withou
wit prior
houtt prio
ho
hou p consent
riorr co in writing.
PAGE 38: Coalition Forces - BOAR
R
BATTALION IMPORTANT:
IMPPORT TANT
ANT:: A All
Al individual combat and
Gordon Arthur reports from Adelaide on 7t7th
th personal
pe
per o al survival
son surviv
sur viva activities involve risk
Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment o injury
of ur to ones
injury oneself
on ess and others and great
care
car emmustu be tak
ust ttaken
ta k carrying out any
such
suc activities.
h acti
a ctivit
v ies
vit ess. EExpert guidance should
PAGE 45: UK Resilience - CONQUER
ER ‘1
‘16
16 be sou
sought
ght
ht an
andde equipment checked for
Bob Morrison reports from Salisbury Plain reliability
reliab
reliabili
i ty bef
ili ore any activities described
before
on Police-led multi-agency riot training here
her in are
re in carried
are car rie out. The publishers
carrie
manoeuvres cannot
ca not accept
can ac
a cepep any responsibility for
anyy injury,
injur
in jury,
y, ddeath, loss or damage
PAGE 52: Alliance Forces - which
which may m result.
VENERABLE GAUNTLET ARTICLES
A ICL
AR
ART C ES S AND PHOTOGRAPHS
Bob Morrison reports from Germany will
will be
be welcomed
w and considered
on the British-led 14-nation VJTF(L) for
fo publication.
pu
publi
blic
c Submission of such
validation exercise shall
shall be
b c considered a warranty that
they
th y are original and do not
the
PAGE 58: Footwear - infringe
infrr
inf on the copyright of
others. Unsuitable material
o
HAIX FACTORY can only be returned
Bob Morrison visits the recently expanded if you include a S.A.E.
HAIX combat boot manufacturing facility Loss
L or damage is not the
in Croatia responsibility
r of COMBAT
& SURVIVAL.
PAGE 64: Outdoor Gear - TRIED & T
TESTED
ES
STE
TED
D
DISCLAIMER:
D The
Mike Gormley eld trials a head torch, a hand-
and
d-
[Cover Image : © Carl Schulze]

publishers
p make
ack
cket
et
et
cranked charger and a seriously insulated jacket no
n representations,
endorsements,
end do guarantees
PAGE 70: Vehicle Focus - URO VAMTAC
MT
M
MTAC
TAC
AC or warranties
wa
w a concerning the
Bob Morrison points his cameras at the Spanish
pa
ani
nish
sh H
sh Hum-
um-
um
m products
produ
pro du
d u and/or services
vee equivalent used by some VJTF nationss advertised
a er
ad
adv e within this
magazine.
maga
mag a We expressly
disclaim
cl i any and all liability
disscla
PAGE 05: Comms relating
rel
e ati
el at n to or arising from the
PAGE 68: Security sale,
sal
sa e, manufacture,
a e, m distribution,
use
e or
se o misuse
mis
mi of such.

COMBAT
COMB
COMB
MB & SURVIVAL | 03
 Comms
comms
F
ebruary may be the cover
date of this magazine, but it
is actually the rst issue of
C&S to be published in 2017
and this page is the last one
that I will pen in 2016. Looking back, it
has been an incredibly short, but also
highly interesting and productive year
for us. Not only has this rst full year
under HIT Media ownership, following
the retiral of previous publishers
Roy and Norman, seen the printed
magazine content go from strength-
to-strength, but our web presence has
increased markedly too and the digital
version of C&S is also doing very nicely
indeed. We live in interesting times.
Talking of interesting times, over 2015
and 2016 our small reporting team of
specialist photojournalists has been
fortunate to have been in a position to
Images © Bob Morrison 2015
Ofcer on left wears new AMCU pattern combat jacket and older ADCP trousers while his colleague
on the right wears a softshell ADCP jacket and similar combat trousers [© Bob Morrison]
record both the evolution of Britain’s
Land Forces under the ARMY 2020
programme and the surge of NATO
reassurance measures in the Baltic area,
following President Putin’s annexa-
tion of The Crimea, sixty years after the
Soviets rst annexed it in 1954 (though
2014 was actually the third annexation
as Russia had previously swallowed it
up in 1783).
In response to the latest annexa-
tion, the heads of the NATO nations
agreed to step up Alliance defence at
a summit in Wales in September 2014
and the setting up of the VJTF (Very
High Readiness Joint Task Force) was
agreed. By the time of the UK-Polish
joint Exercise RYS (LYNX) in late 2014,
Poland was very nervous indeed that
the Pesky Ruskies might invade their
country once again, as they did in 1939
in concert with Hitler at the start of
WWII, before Adolf Hitler and Josef
Stalin fell out.
January 2015 saw C&S being invited
to Hohenfels in Germany for Exercise
ALLIED SPIRIT, where we listened in
on a brieng for very senior NATO
ofcers given by Lt. Gen Frederick
‘Ben’ Hodges, who had become Com-
mander US Army Europe (USAREUR)
just two months earlier and, from that
point on, we endeavoured to cover as
much of the changing military situation
in Europe as feasible, bearing in mind
the magazine’s understandably limited
resources. This issue brings readers up
to date with both Poland’s multinational
defence measures, as our coverage of
Exercise ANAKONDA ‘16 draws almost
to its conclusion (we still have the
Special Operations aspect to cover),
and with UK Forces preparations, on
Exercise VENERABLE GAUNTLET in
Germany, to lead the new NATO mul-
tinational VJTF for twelve months. We
wonder what 2017 may bring.
Talking of 2017, if you have been
watching the combatandsurvival.
com website you will have noticed
us heralding the 30th Anniversary of
the COMBAT & SURVIVAL brand. The
title started off as a limited run weekly
partwork in 1987 and evolved into this
monthly newsstand magazine two
years later. As someone who penned
some articles for the original partwork,
and who has been involved with fea-
ture writing for the monthly magazine
almost from its inception, I am looking
forward to what promises to be an
interesting future.
From time-to-time HIT Media will be
marking our 30th year with Special
Offers on subscriptions - the rst has
already been publicised - and the best
way of snapping one of these up is to
monitor our Facebook and Twitter pag-
es, both of which are linked from the
website. No doubt our publisher has
other promotions up his sleeve for 2017,
so make sure you ‘Like’ combatandsur-
vival or ‘Follow’ @CombatSurvival.
Finally, in this issue we have a feature
from Gordon Arthur on Australia’s 7th
Battalion of the Royal Australian Regi-
ment and ‘Our Man In Hong Kong’ has
also taken over Kit & Camo to focus on
the new Australian MultiCam Camou-
age Uniform. As we ran out of space
in the magazine, we have dropped the
accompanying photo of two Australian
Army lieutenant colonels wearing a mix
of old and new camo patterns, while at-
tending a Combined Arms Manoeuvre
Demo on Salisbury Plain in 2015, onto
this page for colour comparison. BM
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 05
BRITISH ARMY MTP
SPECIAL FORCES
WEBBING

Almost 50% lighter than standard webbing.

Almost 50% smaller than standard webbing (Pack size)
Cost almost 50% less than standard webbing. From only
£94.95
But still has the same robust quality as the standard
webbing.
Made in the UK.
„ This webbing is ultra lightweight and will pack away in
its own stu sack attached to the underside of the belt.
„ The belt is padded for comfort and has a 60 mm quick
release buckle.
„ The yoke has the standard 6 point fasteners and is
laser cut to take extra molle pouches.
„ It is available in 2 sizes
„ Regular to t waist 30” plus, This has 2 utility pouches
and 2 double ammo pouches.
„ Large to t waist 36” plus, This has 3 utility pouches
and 2 double ammo pouches.

www.militarykit.com
 Report & Images by BRITISH FORCES
CARL SCHULZE

01: 25th September

2016, 15:46 - Gurkhas
are inserted by
French SA330 Puma
utility helicopters
of the 5er Régiment
d’Hélicoptères de
Combat onto the
Camp Caylus Training
Area
02: The 2nd Battalion
The Royal Gurkha
Ries has served
with 16 Air Assault
Brigade since June
2015 so they wear
the brigade’s Tactical
Recognition Flash

01

AIR ASSAULT
GURKHASAMBOOR COMPANY, 2 RGR
The rst exercise in the COLIBRI series took place in 1962
and since then 49 of these airborne manoeuvres have
been conducted in France and Germany; the last one being
in south-western France between the 16th and 30th of
Images © Carl Schulze

September 2016. Initially a Franco-German aair, aimed

at improving the development of the airborne forces of
the two nations and cooperation between them, in the
new millennium the exercise series was opened up to the
airborne forces of other allies as well. In 2016 British troops
took part in a COLIBRI exercise for the rst time.
25TH SEPTEMBER, 2016, 15:46.

A
t high speed and low approach the Camp Caylus Training
level, the two SA330 Area in South-Western France. Seconds
Puma utility helicopters later, the aircraft had reached their
of the 5e Régiment destination, a helicopter landing site
d’Hélicoptères de Combat close to the edge of a wood. Banking
of the Aviation Légère de l’Armée sharp left, the pilots set their aircraft 02
de Terre (ALAT) of the French Army softly down on the ground in front of it.

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 09

BRITISH FORCES
At the same time as their wheels touch
the ground, the side doors of the
helicopters are tugged open. Inside the
aircraft the loadmasters can now be
seen showing thumbs-up to their human
cargo. This is the signal the Gurkhas
from the 2nd Battalion of The Royal
Gurkha Ries, assigned to 16 Air Assault
Brigade, have been waiting for and one
10 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
after another they scramble through the
Images © Carl Schulze
doors with their large bergen rucksacks
then rush to the nearby treeline in front
of the helicopters. On reaching the trees,
they form up into their sections and set
up an ad hoc security perimeter.
Suddenly a French soldier of the 1er
Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes
04
05
appears a little further down the edge
of the wood, waving a blue and yellow
ag. Right away the Gurkhas get up and
move off into his direction, knowing that
his position is the Rendezvous Point
they have to head for.
Functioning as a follow-on operation
to a large scale airborne operation
involving hundreds of paratroopers,
the heliborne insertion marked the
 03: While his comrades
assault an enemy
militia held position a
sharpshooter from A
(Amboor) Company of 2
RGR provides cover re
with his 7.62mm L129A1
Sharpshooter Rie
04: After being inserted
by French helicopters
the Gurkhas formed
up into their sections
and set up an ad hoc
security perimeter.
05: Using re team re
& manoeuvre tactics
Gurkhas assault an
enemy held position
- note 40mm AG-36
Underslung Grenade
Launcher beneath
assault rie
06: A Gurkha applies a
tourniquet and provides
rst aid to a wounded
French comrade during
an engagement with
hostile militia forces
07: Exercise COLIBRI “GURKHAS WERE
IL saw the Gurkhas
operating under
EQUIPPED WITH
command of the 3e THE NEWLY
Compagnie de Combat
of the 1er Règiment ISSUED VIRTUS
de Chasseurs INTEGRATED
PERSONAL
Parachutistes.
08: During the combat
phase of COLIBRI IL the PROTECTION AND
Gurkhas covered quite
some distance by foot, LOAD CARRIAGE
carrying all kit they SYSTEM
03 would need for 72 hours
in the eld EQUIPMENT” 08
tions. 2 RGR is based at Sir John Moore
07 Barracks in Shorncliffe in Kent and
serves as air-assault infantry unit with 16
Air Assault Brigade since June 2015.

Prior to deploying on Exercise COLIBRI

beginning of the combat phase of
Exercise COLIBRI IL for the Gurkhas.
IL, the Gurkhas were equipped with
the newly issued VIRTUS Integrated
Personal Protection and Load Carriage
System equipment, including the
Improved Modular Helmet, the Scalable
Tactical Vest (STV), Pelvic Protection,
new Protective Eyewear, Lightweight
Webbing System, 40-litre Daysack and

PLATOON-SIZE 90-litre Bergen.

PARTICIPATION
In total Exercise COLIBRI IL involved
about 1,000 troops from France, Germa-
ny, Spain, the United Kingdom and the
USA. The British contingent was pro-
vided by A (Amboor) Company of the
2nd Battalion The Royal Gurkha Ries
and numbered 36 troops, mainly from
06 4 Platoon. The platoon was structured
into an HQ element and three rie sec-
Weapons employed by the Gurkhas
during the exercise included: 5.56mm
L85 A2 assault ries, tted with
Raytheon ELCAN SpecterOS 4X
Lightweight Day Sights (LDS) and
Shield Close Quarter Battlesights (CQB),
some of which were tted with 40mm
AG-36 Underslung Grenade Launcher
(UGL); as well as 5.56mm L110A2 Minimi
Light Machine Guns tted with the same
sight combination; 5.56mm L86 A2

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 11


BRITISH FORCES
11
Light Support Weapons (LSW), tted
with the SUSAT (Sight Unit, Small Arms,
Trilux); 7.62mm L129A1 Sharpshooter
Ries, tted with Trijicon ACOG 6x48
sights and Ruggedised Miniature Reex
(RMR) sight; and 7.62mm L7A2 GPMG
machineguns.
During COLIBRI IL, 4 Platoon of A
(Amboor) Company 2 RGR was placed
under command of the 3e Compagnie
12 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
09: During the exercise the
09 Gurkhas were employed
14
to conduct offensive
operations against militia
strongholds, including
training camps and supply
bases
10: The Gurkhas deployed
to France with typical
British weapons including
5.56mm L85 A2 assault
rie with ELCAN SpecterOS
4× Lightweight Day Sight
and Shield Close Quarter
Battlesight
11: After clearing an enemy
held position this Gurkha
has been posted as sentry
- note the VIRTUS Scalable
Tactical Vest and Chassis /
MOLLE Hip Belt
12: Gurkhas make their way
through the complex terrain
of the Camp Caylus Training
Area - rear soldier carries
VIRTUS 90 litre bergen with
5-litre side pouches
13: New VIRTUS equipment
10 includes Improved Modular
Helmet, Scalable Tactical
Vest, Low Impact Eyewear,
Chassis / MOLLE Hip Belt, 40L
Daysack and 90L Bergen
14: The 36-strong British
contingent was provided
by A (Amboor) Company of
2 RGR - note the battalion’s
Tactical Recognition Flash
in the form of a black
triangle
15: Both the VIRTUS helmet
and eyewear components
are produced by REVISION
Military - complete with
front mount and mini rail the
helmet is still lighter than
its predecessor
12
de Combat of the 1er Regiment
de Chasseurs Parachutistes
of the French 11e Brigade
Parachutiste.
OPERATIONS AGAINST
MILITIA STRONGHOLDS
Following their deployment to South-
Western France in mid-September, the
13
 “GURKHAS WERE EMPLOYED
TO CONDUCT OFFENSIVE
OPERATIONS AGAINST MILITIA
STRONGHOLDS, INCLUDING
TRAINING CAMPS AND SUPPLY
BASES.”

exercise
ex
e xer
erci
cise
cise sstarted
se tart
ta rted
rted ffor
or tthe
or he G
he Gurkhas
urkh
urkh
ur k ass wwith
itth On the afternoon of 25th September, to the Camp Caylus Training Area. For
couple
a cooup
uple ooff da
days
y o
ys ffamiliarisation
off faami
milililiar
a isat
issat
atio
io
on an
and
and with the nal preparations for the exercise purposes this training area
fo
orcce in
force nte
egr
g atio
atio
at
integrationon trrai
aini
niing
training.ng. Th he pl
The p atoo
atoo
atoon
platoon n tactical phase completed, the platoon served as part of the ctitious, unstable
was
w
wa then
as th
hennm moved
oved
ov d tto
ed o CaCastres,
C
Cast
ast
stre res,
res, wwhere
whe
here
he re tthe
re he then was inserted by Puma utility and civil war torn Equatorial Garoni
11e
11 Brigade
1e Br
B ig
gaad
de PaParachutiste
P
Para
arach
rach
ra huuttisste
te h had
add sset
et u
et uppa an
n helicopters, of the 5e Régiment Republic (EGR) in which United Nation
Air Mounting Centre for the upcoming d’Hélicoptères de Combat of the forces had been operating for some
tactical phase of the exercise. Aviation Légère de l’Armée de Terre, while.

15 The heliborne operation was conducted

in two waves. Once on the ground the
Gurkhas, together with their French
allies, were soon involved in operations
against violent militia forces operating
in the complex terrain. First they took
part in securing the initial drop zone and
helicopter landing site, in order to allow
the deployment of follow-on forces. With
this achieved, up until the end of the
exercise on 28th September, the Gurkhas
Images © Carl Schulze

were employed to conduct offensive

operations against militia strongholds,
including training camps and supply
bases. During these operations the
Gurkhas were supported for a time by
airborne engineers from the US Army
and they also closely cooperated with the
French paratroopers of the 1er RCP.

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 13

 STOP
+++ PRESS +++
On 22nd December UK

armour news MOD awarded a

Challenger 2 LEP

CH2 TES MCS

Assessment Phase
contract to both
Rheinmetall and BAE
Systems.

CHALLENGER 2 WITH MOBILE

CAMOUFLAGE SYSTEM

01: Bovington, 11th October 2016 [Crown Copyright/OGL: PO Owen Cooban]

T
he UK Ministry of Defence
is currently proposing a
Life Extension Programme
(LEP) for its eet of 227
Challenger 2 Main Battle
Tanks, estimated at a cost of around
£250 million, with the aim of upgrading
and retaining in service until 2035. Five
bidders submitted proposals in August
and it was anticipated that two would
be down-selected for nal assessment
by the end of 2016 (though at time of
writing in mid-December no announce-
ment had yet been made). Media
02: Bovington, 11th October 2016 [Crown Copyright/OGL: PO Owen Cooban]
reports suggest that the eet size may
actually be reduced to just 170 tanks
but, while Minister for the Armed Forces
Mike Penning MP did not rule this out,
Hansard quotes him as saying on 12th
December: “We are planning to spend
£700 million to extend the Challenger
2 capability out to 2035.” Some believe
this much higher gure indicates not
only that the full eet will be upgraded
but that the tanks may also receive a
new main gun.
Interestingly, UK MoD has issued images
of a Theatre Entry Standard (TES)
Challenger 2 reference vehicle, named
MEGATRON, with both Chobham and
Dorchester armour tted on trials on
11th October at Bovington while clad
in a new Mobile Camouage System
(MCS). This vehicle, wearing its thermal
camouage shroud which we believe
was supplied by Rheinmetall, also
briey appeared on Salisbury Plain at
the Combined Arms Manoeuvre Demo,
where we spotted and photographed it.
C&S will keep readers informed as more
details of the LEP are released.
03: Larkhill, 20th October 2016 [© Bob Morrison]

04: Larkhill, 20th October 2016 [© Bob Morrison]

05: Larkhill, 20th October 2016 [© Bob Morrison]

14 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 EW D
N AN
R
B

Clothing range out now

£
18.95
£
19.95

£
12.95 £
31.95

www.combatandsurvival.com/shop
* Colour & designs subject to change. All items correct at time of going to press. Visit website for up-to-date merchandise
01: German
paratroopers of
Fallschirmjäger
regiment 26, mostly
carrying heavy
bergens, ght their
airborne forces
way through Jean
Cousy Village on
the Camp Caylus
Training Area

Report & Images by

COLIBRI IL
01
CARL SCHULZE
[Pt.2]

French-led Multinational Exercise

Images © Carl Schulze

In September France’s 11e Brigade Parachutiste hosted exercise COLIBRI IL

(i.e. COLIBRI 49) and, with some 500 troops deployed, also provided the bulk
of the participants. Its Toulouse-based Headquarters (Etat-Major 11e Brigade
Parachutiste), supported by the 11th Headquarters and Signal Company
(Compagnie de Commandement et de Transmissions Parachutiste), provided the
command element for the Multinational Task Force employed during the exercise
and also served as the exercise control and direction element.

T
he Pamiers-based 1er
Règiment de Chasseurs
Parachutists ( 1er RCP)
and the Castres-based 8e
Régiment de Parachutistes
d’Infanterie de Marine (8e RPIMa)
provided the task force’s two airborne
infantry battlegroups. Each of the two
regiments took part in the exercise with
its Headquarters and Support Company
(Compagnie de Commandement et de
Logistique) and one Airborne Infantry
Company (Compagnie de Combat).
The regiments also served as hosts
for the British, German and Spanish
elements involved in the exercise and
commanded them during the tactical
phase. Also assigned to the 8e RPIMa
was a Reconnaissance Platoon from the
Tarbes-based 1e Régiment de Hussards
Parachutistes, equipped with VBL scout
cars.
Elements of the Groupement des
Commandos Parachutistes from the
11e Brigade Parachutiste, provided by
the 3e Régiment de Parachutistes
d’Infanterie de Marine (3e RPIMa),
provided the task force with a
Pathnder capability and served as its
Special Forces asset. A Mortar Platoon,
equipped with 120mm MO RTF1 mortars,
and a Close Air Defence Platoon from
the Tarbes-based 35e Régiment
d’Artillerie Parachutiste, equipped
with MISTRAL man-portable short
range surface to air missile systems,
took also part in the exercise. During
COLIBRI IL, both platoons fell under
operational control of C Battery, 4th
Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery
Regiment of the US Army. A platoon
of French airborne engineers of the
Montauban-based 17e Régiment du
Génie Parachutiste was assigned to the

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 17

airborne forces

02

Images © Carl Schulze

03

US Army’s A Company, 54th Brigade

Engineer Battalion.

Logistic support for the task force, as

well as real live logistic support to all
other assets involved in the exercise,
was provided by the 1e Régiment du
Train Parachutiste based in Toulouse.
Medical support, both exercise and
real time, was provided by units of the
Service de Santé des Armées.
The Pau-based 5e Régiment
d’Hélicoptères de Combat of the
French Army Air Corps (Aviation Légère
de l’Armée de Terre) supported the
task force with two SA330 Puma utility
helicopters and two Gazelle SA342
L1 scout/light attack helicopters, and
the French Air Force (Armée de l’Air)
supported it with one C-160 Transall,
one CN-235 Casa transport aircraft
04
and one E3-F AWACS. Several combat
aircraft also took part in the exercise
and provided Close Air Support to
the troops on the ground. Finally, the
Auverganda Resistance Group (ARG)
ghters were played by troops of the
Castelnaudary-based 4e Régiment
Ètranger of the French Foreign Legion.
AIMS OF THE EXERCISE
The general aim of Exercise COLIBRI
IL was to develop the friendship and
cooperation between the participating
airborne forces. This involved cross-
training with each other’s parachute
equipment, jumping with it and, by
doing so, earning foreign parachute
jump qualication wings. Specic aims
of the operational phase of the exercise
were to train for a First Entry Operation,
by means of an airborne assault, to
allow the participating forces to train in
infantry tactics in complex terrain and to

18 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

02: As a machinegun team
equipped with a 7.62mm
MG3 provides cover re
German paratroops cross
open ground during their
push deep into Jean Cousy
Village
03: Spanish paratrooper
ghts his way through a
cave complex that served
as a logistics base for
ghters of the Auverganda
Resistance Group
04: Here a Spanish
paratrooper armed with a
7.62mm MG3 can be seen
during one of several
long marches through the
complex terrain of Camp
Caylus Training Area
05: This paratrooper of the
8e RPIMa is armed with a
5.56mm x 45 FAMAS Félin
which is the latest variant of
the assault rie in service
with the French Army
06: Armed with a 7.62mm
G27P Präzisionswaffe
(sharpshooter rie) a
German paratrooper
provides cover for his
comrades advancing on
an Auverganda Resistance
Group base
07: Mounted in VBL scout 06
cars and placed under
command of the 8e RPIMa, a
platoon of the 1e Régiment
de Hussards Parachutistes
served as the task force
reconnaissance asset

train the resupply of airborne forces by
heavy drops. It was also planned to give
the commanders on the ground, at all
levels, as much freedom in their decision
making as possible.
07
the UN troops, however, the weakness
of the EGR Defence Forces had allowed
the Auverganda Resistance Group
(ARG), one of the militia groups that
was also involved in criminal activities
such as drug trafcking, to regain power

SCENARIO
The scenario of the exercise was
based on the ctitious nation of the
Equatorial Garoni Republic (EGR).
Earlier an international intervention in
the country, backed by a UN Resolution,
had stopped violent militia groups from
snatching the power from the elected
government. After the withdrawal of
and set up a safe haven in a remote part
of the country situated on the Camp
Caylus Training Area.
Here at Caylus the militia had set up
training camps and supply caches
holding weapons, ammunition and food.
The militia, with some 100 ghters in the
area, had also established strong links
to the local population. In addition to

05 COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 19


airborne forces
08
09
10
small arms they were equipped
with 14.5mm anti-aircraft guns,
mortars and Improvised Explosive
Devices; some of the latter, it was
thought, might contain chemical
or radiological materials. It was
also believed that the religious
fanatic ghters could eld a
couple of SA-7 Grail Man Portable
Air Defence Systems and they
might even be able to muster
some Close Air Support, in form of
a couple of Sukhoi SU-25 ghters
operated by mercenaries.
With the ARG again posing
20 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
in Pau, Castres and Pamiers.
This included an obstacle course
challenge, small arms live re
training and parachuting with
other nations’ equipment. Parallel
to the cross training, the troops
began to prepare their kit for the
upcoming tactical phase and the
command elements entered into
the mission planning process.
Phase II took place between the
22nd and 25th of September and
saw the troops moving to the
Castres-Mazamet airport, where an
Air Mounting Centre was set up.
Here the soldiers also conducted
the nal preparations for the
upcoming airborne insertion into
the Equatorial Garoni Republic
11
a threat to the stability in the
EGR, a Multinational Task Force
consisting of French, German,
Spanish, US, and UK airborne
forces, commanded by the 11e
Brigade Parachutiste, was tasked
with neutralising it.
THREE PHASES
Exercise COLIBRI IL was
conducted in three phases that
partly overlapped. Phase I took
place between the 19th and 23rd
September 2016 and saw the
troops conducting cross-training
12
 (EGR). The combat phase, Phase
III, took place between the 25th and
28th of September. The exercise
closed with a parade in Toulouse on
September 29th, the day of Saint
Michael who is the patron saint of
soldiers.
the 24th. Once on the ground, the
Pathnders began to collect data
on the enemy and the condition of
the pre-planned Drop Zone. On the
25th they then secured the DZ and
marked it for the upcoming mass
static-line drop airborne operation.

THE COMBAT PHASE

The nal phase of COLIBRI IL
began with the HALO insertion of
the Groupement des Commandos
Parachutistes, provided by the
3e Régiment de Parachutistes
d’Infanterie de Marine, and the
German Fallschirm spezialzug of
Fallschirmjäger regiment 26, on
The rst troops, from 8e RPIMa,
dropped into Rastibel DZ around
08:30. Directly after hitting the
ground, the paratroopers attacked
Jean Cousy Village in order to
neutralise the ARG ghters there,
who posed a threat to the drop
zone. About an hour after the troops
of 8e RPIMa, the German airborne
infantry company was dropped

13

08: German Pathnders of

the Fallschirm spezialzug of
Fallschirmjäger regiment 26
fast-rope down from an SA330
14
Puma of the 5e Régiment
d’Hélicoptères de Combat
09: French paratroopers of the
8e RPIMa battle their way into
Jean Cousy Village. They were
met with stiff resistance by the
Auverganda Resistance Group
(ARG).
10: Multinational cooperation in
the eld - the German company
commander discusses his plans
for an attack with his French
counterpart
11: Insignia of the 11e Brigade
Parachutiste - in September 2016
this French airborne brigade
hosted Exercise COLIBRI IL in
south-western France
12: After a reght with the ARG
an SA330 Puma utility helicopter
is brought in to evacuate 15
a Règiment de Chasseurs
Parachutists battle casualty
13: Paratroopers of 1er RCP
have just landed - they will
now free themselves from
their parachutes, unpack
their weapons, shoulder their
rucksacks and move out into
cover
Images © Carl Schulze

14: Two Gazelle SA342 L1

helicopters of 5e Régiment
d’Hélicoptères de Combat
were used for reconnaissance
purposes as well as for
escorting the SA330 Puma utility
helicopters
15: The German airborne
regiments eld their own
military service dog platoons
- 5 Kompanie, Fallschirmjäger
regiment 26 was supported by
two military service dog teams COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 21

airborne forces
17
and they then followed the 8e RPIMa to
secure the remainder of the village. Over
the rest of the day more troops were
dropped in, including the US engineers
and gunners, as well as the paratroopers
of 1e RCP.
In the afternoon the Gurkhas of A
(Amboor) Company of 2nd Battalion,
The Royal Gurkha Ries [See pg**]
were own in by a SA330 Puma
utility helicopters of the 5e Régiment
d’Hélicoptères de Combat. By nightfall,
the airborne forces had established
a security perimeter around the DZ
that would allow the deployment of
more troops and equipment over the
following days.
The 26th saw the Spanish paratroopers
and the French brigade’s HQ personnel
22 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
16: After capturing an
ARG ringleader members
of the Groupement des
Commandos Parachutistes
of the 11e Brigade
Parachutiste await their
extraction by helicopter
17: A mass casualty incident
(MASCAL) kept the staff of the
Service de Santé des Armées
of the Poste Médical 2014
very busy
dropping in, followed by a series of
heavy drops including supplies, as well
as vehicles such as Auverland A3F
(VAL) light trucks and heavy equipment
such as a complete medical station
(Poste Médical). Initially it had also been
planned to drop in the 155mm M777
Light Towed Howitzers of C Battery,
4th Battalion, 319th (US) Airborne Field
Artillery Regiment, but the available air
transport capability was insufcient for
this, so their deployment was simulated.
The day also saw the Multinational
Task Force conducting their rst
offensive operations against the ARG
militia. Supported by US engineers, the
Spanish paratroopers seized a cave
complex that in the exercise play was
serving as a phosphate mine. During
the ghting in the caves the task force
troops also had to deal with a suicide
bomber. With the ghting over, the
operation uncovered vital intelligence
on enemy positions in the area, while
chemicals and bomb-making material
were also captured.
In the early hours of the 27th the
German and French Pathnders
conducted a Special Forces type
operation, arresting a key leader of the
ARG militia. During this operation the
Pathnders were inserted by SA330
Puma utility helicopter, fast-roping
16
directly onto the objective, a remote
building. With the arrest made, the
extraction was also conducted by
helicopter.
Also on the 27th, the task force
conducted a large pincer operation
in order to clear the area of enemy
ghters. As part of this operation the
1e RCP moved from the area of Jean
Cousy Village in clockwise direction
over the Camp Caylus Training Area,
neutralising several militia outposts
on the way, while the 8e RPIMa did
the same anti-clockwise. At the end
of the day both units linked up, having
conducted a full circle sweep.
The 28th was the last day of the tactical
phase. It started with a mortar attack
on the task force, conducted by a
small group of ARG ghters that had
managed to slip through the previous
day’s netting sweep. The result of the
mortar attack was a mass casualty
incident (MASCAL) and these casualties
were speedily evacuated for treatment
to the PM 14 medical station which had
now been set up at the village. With the
large number of casualties arriving by
both truck and helicopter, the staff of
the medical station were given a hard
time. This MASCAL incident was the
last highlight of the combat phase of a
successful COLIBRI IL.
 allied forces

01

ANAKONDA 16
COMBINED ARMS LIVE FIRE PHASE
Images © Bob Morrison

On Thursday 16th June, ten days after the Opening Ceremony in Warsaw and
nine days after multinational Airborne Forces commenced their Joint Forcible
Entry operation into Poland from bases in the United States, Germany and
Italy, the last two major Exercise ANAKONDA phases took place at the Land
Forces Training Centre near Drawsko Pomorskie. At the invitation of the

A
Polish MoD, C&S was on hand to witness both.
NAKONDA
is a Polish 02
biennial
national
defence
exercise which
commenced in 2006.
One of its objectives is to
meet NATO standards of
interoperability procedures
and build readiness
capabilities of the Alliance,
though it is a national
invitational exercise rather
than a formal NATO
one and other partner
nations are invited to
participate; hence the
use of the term Allied to
differentiate. In total, over
30,000 troops from 24
nations participated on
ANAKONDA 16 which, Report & Images by
in addition to having an BOB MORRISON
24 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
 06

01: Polish KTO Rosomak

03 Infantry Fighting Vehicles
supported by US Army
M1A2 SEPv2 Main Battle
Tanks move forward to
the start line
02: US Army Hum-vees
(HMMWV) from Italy-
based 173rd Brigade
Airborne Combat Team
pass a Romanian VAMTAC
on the edge of the
training area
03: Dust and smoke rises
as three Polish Leopard
2A5 main battle tanks in
04 tank scrapes on the left of
the battleeld prepare to
advance 07
04: A round from an M142
HIMARS (High Mobility eleven nation Command and enhance each other’s
Artillery Rocket System) & Control HQ set-up in capabilities and prepare
launcher way off on the Warsaw, was held on seven ourselves in the best possible
right counters an enemy
artillery position different training areas across way... if situation should
05: A Polish Leopard 2A5 Poland; from WĊdrzyn and require it.”
MBT with turret traversed ĝwiĊtoszów in the West, to
and barrel clamped in the Ustka and Drawsko Pomorskie The general continued:
travelling position - the
Poles have 105 of these in the North, to Chemno & “Exercises like ANAKONDA
tanks on-strength Torun in the middle north, to 16 give us the opportunity to
05 06: The US Army M1A2
SEPv2 MBTs belong to the
Nowa DĊba in the South-West,
to Orzysz in the North-East.
test and conrm our plans,
procedures, systems and
European Activity Set pre- tactics. They also strengthen
positioned in Germany for
rapid deployment in time Exercise Director Lieutenant cooperation between military
of crisis General Marek Tomaszycki, in and civil organisations and
07: The Romanian his welcoming address, stated: military cooperation between
mechanised infantry “As host nation we are proud the participating countries.”
were transported in TAB to welcome so many capable
Zimbru (Aurochs) person-
nel carriers which are and skilled people to Poland. The largest training event in
licence-built BTR 80 APCs Together we can improve the modern history of Poland,

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 25

 08
allied forces

09
Images © Bob Morrison

with more than two and a half times

the number of troops that participated
on ANAKONDA 14 and three times as
many nations included, ANAKONDA 16
was primarily intended to test ability,
readiness and partner interoperability of
the 12,000-strong Polish participating
formations. The Poles were keen to
emphasise that important background
considerations were: “the political-
military situation in the Russia-Ukraine 10
crisis, Middle East security challenges
and the migrant crisis”. All of these the Polish Land Forces Training Centre involved when live artillery, tanks and
issues inuenced the way of assessing near Drawsko Pomorskie. C&S rst fast air support are involved mean close
and evaluating exercise aims, range and visited this training area in 1996, when observation options are limited during
effects. the British Forces Germany held their battle runs.
rst armoured battlegroup exercise on
The exercise phase covered this month, former Warsaw Pact territory, so we The LFX phase was certainly dramatic
on the morning of the penultimate day know the area well. With its undulating to watch, but unfortunately the dust and
of ANAKONDA 16, was a Combined heathland, forested areas and many smoke generated as the battlegroup
Arms Live-Fire Exercise (LFX) water obstacles it makes for exceptional headed off down the range from near-
demonstration conducted in front of brigade-level training, but unfortunately concealed positions on the Start Line
Distinguished Visitors and Observers at the necessary safety considerations made photography very difcult. Our

26 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 11

08: US Army Apache

attack helicopters both
supported the Allied
Forces advance with both
anti-armour missiles and
aerial reconnaissance
09: A pair of elite US
Army Joint Terminal
air Controllers (JTAC)
coordinated and
de-conicted jets,
helicopters and artillery
10: One of the Polish
KTO Rosomak Infantry
Fighting Vehicles and its
3-man crew - it can carry
an eight-man infantry
section in the rear
11: Crewed by three,
the air-transportable
M142 HIMARS launcher
can hit six targets from
2,000 metres out to 300
kilometres with M270
rockets
12: One of the heavily
camouaged M1A2 SEPv2
Abrams tanks which
participated - tactical
arm patch shows crew The year 2016 marked the 70th
are from 3rd Infantry Anniversary of Land Forces
Training Centre - Drawsko and
Division
the 20th Anniversary of the 12
13: A platoon of British Army using its facilities
Macedonian mechanised
infantry also participated hosts did their very
- in this shot they were best to accommodate 13 15
being addressed at the the small group of
end of the exercise
media photographers
14: We bumped into these and cameramen by
Romanian troops the
evening before the live- positioning us even
re demonstration - their further forward than the
uniform camouage is a Distinguished Visitors,
copy of UK DPM
but a minor downside
15: The Romanian Army
uses militarised versions to this was that the
commentary was
of the DAC (Diesel
Automobil Camion) truck inaudible for us above 14 16
family - this is the DAC the sound of battle,
665T which has a MAN
engine though fortunately we
16: US Army M1165A1 were able to recognise
armoured Hum-vee which unit was which
(HMMWV) coming off the by the shape of their
battleeld - the barcode
on the front suggests armour.
it is from the European
Activity Set COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 27
allied forces
19
18
The Polish-led battlegroup
participating on the
Combined Arms LFX at the
Land Forces Training Centre
also included Albanian,
American, Bulgarian,
Lithuanian, Macedonian,
Romanian, and Swedish
units. Some of their armour
was presented for the
Distinguished Visitors next
to the observation stand and
we managed to photograph
other examples moving to
the start line, in addition to
snapping Romanian wheeled
transport on roads outside
the Danger Area. However,
on a training area as large
as Drawsko Pomorskie and
with only a single morning
of the packed exercise
calendar available to cover
this penultimate dynamic
display, we were really only
able to scratch the surface.
When the artillery barrage
from American and Polish
self-propelled howitzer
batteries commenced,
28 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
17
supported by fast air
strikes and a HIMARS
(High Mobility Artillery
Rocket System) launcher
way off on our right ank,
the results were literally
ground-shaking. The
follow-on battle run, with
American armour from the
prepositioned European
Activity Set supporting
predominantly Polish,
Romanian and Macedonian
mechanised infantry,
with Hind and Apache
helicopters overhead, ran
like clockwork. It was all very
impressive.
17: The M1A2 SEPv2 (System
Enhancement Package version
2) Abrams MBT has a CROWS
(Common Remotely Operated
Weapon Station ) with 12.7mm
Images © Bob Morrison
machinegun
18: Specialist Swedish troops
from the EU Nordic Battle
Group provided security for the
Distinguished Visitors during the
live-re demonstration
19: Lt. Gen Ben Hodges, who
commands USAREUR (US Army
Europe), addressed the media at
the end of the Combined Arms LFX
at LFTC-Drawsko
armour file

01

AJAX & ARES

NEW BRITISH ARMY AFV FAMILY
The AJAX family of vehicles, formerly known as SCOUT SV, is intended to provide
essential capability to the UK’s Armoured Cavalry under the restructured Army
2020 programme. The eventual outcome of past development projects, including
TRACER and FRES, the six variants in the AJAX family will primarily replace the
British Army’s current reconnaissance vehicle eet, based on the ageing CVR(T)
family, as well as replacing some specialist FV432 family vehicles.

I
n March 2010 the UK Ministry Human factors trials of the SCOUT SV
Images © Photographers noted in captions

of Defence awarded General were undertaken with the Armoured 02

Dynamics UK (GDUK) the SCOUT
SV development programme
contract and, in September of the
following year, the company débuted a
rst demonstrator at the DSEi military
expo held in London’s Docklands. From
June 2012 a Mobile Test Rig, a precursor
to the pre-production prototype,
undertook an extensive series of trials
to de-risk the new vehicle’s chassis and
driveline, while that December, around
the same time as the completion of the
Preliminary Design Review, a £12 million
Armoured Fighting Vehicle Design and
Engineering Centre was opened on the
site of a former colliery in South Wales.
Trials Development Unit at Bovington
and a Common Base Platform Critical
Design Review was completed in
December 2013, with the Critical
Design Review for the turret-less
Protected Mobility Recce Support
(PMRS) variant reaching conclusion in
June 2014, around the same time that
the PMRS pre-production prototype
débuted at DVD ‘14. That September,
the MoD awarded GDUK a £3.5 billion
manufacturing contract to deliver
03
589 SCOUT SV platforms and the
following month the company awarded
Lockheed Martin UK a sub-contract UK
to deliver 245 turrets for the primarily

30 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 01: The turreted AJAX
prototype made its public
début at the DSEi expo in
September 2015: [© Bob
Morrison]
02: Believed to be the same
prototype as displayed at
DSEi 15, it now has a Remote
Weapon System and optics
[Crown Copyright: Andrew
Linnett]
03: Ofcial photograph
of the AJAX prototype
outdoors in Wales on
4th March 2016 [Crown
Copyright: Andrew Linnett]
04: Prototype 64KM08
made a eeting
appearance at Larkhill 04
on the morning 20th
September 2016 [Crown
Copyright: Stuart Hill]
05 07
05: Left side of 64KM08
without its thermal
camouage - front steps
are a temporary Health &
Safety measure
[© Bob Morrison]
06: By the time C&S
was allowed on-site a
temporary marquee was in
place - RWS has no weapon
tted [© Bob Morrison]
07: The 64KM08 slipped
back to Bovington while the
Combined Arms Manoeuvre
Demo was in progress
08
[Crown Copyright: Stuart
Hill]
08: The turret-less PMRS
06
prototype, still called
SCOUT SV, 64KM09
appeared at DVD in June
2014 [© Bob Morrison]
09: Right side of 64KM09
at DVD ‘14 - the box-like
structure contained an
external power source
[© Bob Morrison]
10: Front view of RWS atop
what we now know will be
09
called ARES - note smoke
dischargers too
[© Bob Morrison]
Reconnaissance & Strike version. Initial Infantry Fighting Vehicle platform which
manufacture of the rst 100 vehicles will is in service with Austria as the ULAN
be at the General Dynamics factory near and Spain as the PIZARRO. At 38-42
Seville in Spain, but the remainder of the tonnes and around ve times heavier
eet will be assembled at a refurbished than the lightweight CVR(T) family
factory complex near Merthyr Tydl. vehicles it will mostly replace, AJAX is
The rst prototype, believed to be not only considerably better protected
PMRS variant 64KM09, began formal
Verication and Validation trials in June
and better armed, but it can also carry
a fourth crew member in the turreted
10
2015 then in September, at DSEi ‘15, the version and four dismounts in addition
SCOUT SV programme was renamed to its two-man crew in the turret-less
AJAX and the rst turreted prototype, PMRS variant. At this point we should
most likely 64KM08, was unveiled. stress that although AJAX might appear
to be a WARRIOR equivalent, it is
Selected over its only competitor, the most denitely not an Infantry Fighting
CV-90 proposal from BAE Systems, Vehicle and it will undertake totally
AJAX is based on the ASCOD (Austrian different roles to the in-service FV510
Spanish Cooperation Development) Infantry Section Vehicle.

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 31


armour file
12
Images © Photographers noted in captions
13
The six named versions of the AJAX
family, all named after Greek gods, are:-
„ AJAX - the turreted ISTAR
(Intelligence, Surveillance, Target
Acquisition and Reconnaissance)
variant.
„ ARES - the turret-less specialist
troops delivery and support variant.
„ APOLLO - the repair and recovery
variant with crane.
„ ATLAS - the winch-equipped heavy
recovery variant.
„ ARGUS - the engineering
reconnaissance variant.
„ ATHENA - the battleeld command &
control variant.
32 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
11
11: AJAX family. From top
left to bottom right: AJAX,
ARES, ATHENA, ARGUS,
APOLLO and ATLAS
[© GDUK]
12: The same Remote
weapons Station seen
from behind - the 12.7mm
Heavy Machine Gun is a
replica
[© Bob Morrison]
13: The AJAX family of
vehicles should replace
the 40+ year old SPARTAN
(left) and SCIMITAR
CVR(T) eet from 2019
[© Bob Morrison]
14: Seating for three
of the four dismounts
that ARES can carry -
equipment racks are on
the right
[© Bob Morrison] 14
In very simple terms: AJAX will replace to replace FV104 SAMARITAN, FV102
FV107 SCIMITAR; ARES will replace STRIKER (no longer in service) and
FV103 SPARTAN; ATLAS will replace STORMER HVM respectively as part of
FV106 SAMSON used by the Royal a second tranche giving a combined
Electrical & Mechanical Engineers; eet of over 1,000 vehicles, have almost
ARGUS will replace SPARTAN used certainly been dropped.
by the Royal Engineers; ATHENA will
replace FV105 SULTAN; and APOLLO It is intended that the rst production
will give REME an additional variant batch vehicles will be delivered later
for undertaking engine and gearbox this year, initially for user trials, and
replacements etc. A total of 589 vehicles full operational capability should
was ordered in September 2014 and two be achieved in 2019 to meet the
years later no further prospective orders requirements of the ARMY 2020
have been announced, suggesting the restructuring programme. We hope to
original plans to produce ambulance, bring readers more on this subject in
anti-armour and air defence variants, due course.
kit + camo

AMCU AUSTRALIAN
MULTICAM
CAMOUFLAGE
UNIFORM

The 7 RAR soldier

on this page was
photographed in
bright morning
shade while his
colleague on
the opposite
page was
photographed in
much brighter
conditions

34 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 Article & Images by
GORDON ARTHUR

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 35

kit + camo
The Australian MultiCam Camouage Uniform (AMCU),
which is still currently being rolled out, is the newest
battledress of the Australian Defence Force. From
a distance its colour palette is similar to that of the
existing Disruptive Pattern Camouage Uniform (DPCU).
However, close-up, there are obvious dierences,
especially in its hybrid pattern.
O
fcially launched on
22nd September 2014,
the AMCU will replace
both the DPCU (and
its desert derivative)
and Australian MultiCam Pattern
Operational Combat Uniform (AMP-
OCU). It is supposed to be suitable for
a range of environments at home and
overseas including deserts, rocky terrain,
urban environments and grassland.
It is available as both a combat and
eld uniform; the former being worn
under body armour and it features
integrated elbow/knee pads, as well as
stretch fabric in key areas such as the
groin, knees and lower back. Pockets
are plentiful. As for the eld uniform,
this has a reduced number of pockets
to make it lighter and cooler. Knee pads
can still be incorporated if desired. Each
infantryman receives two sets of the
combat AMCU and three sets of the
eld AMCU. All receive an AMCU bush
hat, belt, rank slides and name tags as
well. The uniform is manufactured by
Australian Defence Apparel (ADA)
and Pacic Brands Workwear Group
(PBWG).
The AMCU was evaluated in a
Diggerworks trial in February 2013.
The rst unit to receive it was the
Townsville-based 3rd Brigade beginning
in October 2014, followed in 2015 by the
Darwin-based 1st Brigade.
The soldier modelling the AMCU on
the previous page is also kitted out
with most elements of the new Soldier
36 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
Images © Gordon Arthur
Combat Ensemble (SCE) procured
under the Land 125 Phase 3B project.
The SCE is tiered for different missions
and functions. Tier 0 Heavy is a basic
load carriage conguration upon which
other tiers are built. Thus, Tier 2 is for
the close combatant (this tier is broken
down into dismounted and mounted
versions), and Tier 3 is for general use
(e.g. combat support personnel). In all,
the ADF will distribute 21,000 sets of
the SCE over a three-year period, with
the 7th Brigade scheduled to be the last
to receive it in 2017.
What does the SCE contain? Beginning
at the top, we note the tiered combat
helmet with AMCU cover. Much lighter
than its predecessor, it can accept
night vision attachments, plus there are
side rails for accessory attachments.
Supplied by Aquaterro, the helmet is
the Exl ballistic helmet made by Team
Wendy in the USA.
Moving lower, the enhanced Ballistic
Laser Ocular Protection System
(BLOPS) protects soldiers’ eyes. Each
BLOPS set includes lens options (clear,
smoke grey and laser) for the goggles.
Not pictured here is the combat hearing
protection system, which offers Class
5 over-ear protection for use with or
without combat helmets. It can integrate once wore. As its name suggests,
with communication systems like the plates can be added or removed to
personal role radio. the modular system as required by the
threat level.
The Tiered Body Armour System
(TBAS) was introduced in mid-2012. A Also part of the SCE is enhanced load
Tier 2 TBAS weighs 6.8kg, compared to carriage equipment that comprises
11kg for the MCBAS that Aussie soldiers modular belt webbing/load carriage
harness. Soldiers are issued too with
eld packs (dismounted or mounted
versions), assault packs (medium or
small versions) and pouches for mission
essential equipment (e.g. medical kit,
ammunition, communications).
Carrying a 5.56mm F88SA2 rie, the 7 RAR
soldier on this and the preceding page wears
the new AMCU as well as most elements of
the Soldier Combat Ensemble. His combat
shirt uses a knit-fabric body with no pockets
to make it more comfortable to wear under
body armour. It has Velcro adjustment tabs
on the cuffs. The combat pants, containing
eight pockets, feature stretch woven fabric in
the back yoke, crotch and knees. They have a
padded waistband and adjustable waist, plus
reinforced saddle seat and integrated knee
pads. Note the new helmet, eye protection,
TBAS and load carriage vest. As well as various
mag, radio and rst aid pouches, this soldier
also has a hydration system on his back.
 Magazine
Save Token
It’s been brought to our attention that some
readers are having trouble getting hold of their
regular issues. Naturally, we can’t have anyone
missing out on their regular dosage of military
know-how. If C&S doesn’t have pride of place
at your local news-agent, simply hand over the
slip displayed here [or a photocopy]to the person
behind the counter. They should be able to order
it for you and your missing issues shouldn’t be
an issue anymore! Of course, C&S also has a
subscription service, with each issue delivered
straight to your door...

C&S - Don’t miss out

To my News-agent,
I wish to receive a copy of Combat
& Survival each month.
Pleas commence with.......................
issue [specify a month] until further
notice.
Mr......................................................
COMBAT
+SURVIVAL
Address...........................................
........................................................
........................................................
Postcode..........................................
Date...../........./.........
Signature......................................
Distributed by Warners Group Publications PLC
coalition forces

BOAR BATTALION
7TH BATTALION, ROYAL AUSTRALIAN REGIMENT
Images © Gordon Arthur

For a long time the 7th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment (7 RAR) was
known by the nickname ‘Pigs’ or ‘Porky Seven’. This epithet was awarded when,
after seeing the state of the soldiers’ mess following a weekend of heavy drinking,
its rst commanding ocer said: “You’re nothing but a bunch of pigs!” In recent
times, however, the battalion has been re-branding itself with a boar rather than a
pig, which certainly sounds more fearsome. Nevertheless, the current mascot of
Battle Group Boar is still Willy the Pig.
HISTORY
O
ne of seven infantry Earlier in 2016 the new Australian
battalions in the regular MultiCam Camouage Uniform
Australian Army, 7 RAR (AMCU) was rolled out to the soldiers The 7th Battalion was established on
is the only one located in serving with 7 RAR. The colour palette 1st September 1965 at Puckapunyal,
Adelaide in the state of of this new camo is similar to that Victoria, specically to contribute to
South Australia. It is stationed at RAAF of the preceding Disruptive Pattern Australia’s Vietnam War commitments.
Base Edinburgh, about 35 kilometres Camouage Uniform (DPCU), often It experienced two operational
north of Adelaide’s city centre. The referred to as AUSCAM, but the pattern deployments there between 1967 and
battalion is part of the 1st Brigade, itself is a derivative of Crye Precision 1971, earning the battle honours Bien-
which is headquartered in Darwin in the MultiCam - see Kit & Camo on Page 34 Hoa (1967-68) and Vietnam (1970-71).
Northern Territory. for more The next major milestone was

38 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 01: A re team prepares
to enter a building as
they rehearse moving
01 into an opposed area.
02: As well as the new
AMCU this soldier is
wearing the Soldier
Combat Ensemble
procured under the Land
125 Phase 3B project - he
has a Tier 2 set designed
for close combatants
03: These soldiers
undergoing ‘guardian
angel’ training are
armed with 5.56mm
F88SA2 ries - rst
delivered in late 2009
these weapons were
modernised by Thales
Australia
04: Repeated drills are a
vital part of preparations
for deploying overseas
- here soldiers of Bravo
Company, 7 RAR practise
clearing operations in a 03
suburban environment
on their Adelaide base
05: The SCE features the
tiered combat helmet
made by Aquaterro -
also evident here is
the enhanced Ballistic
Laser Ocular Protection
System to protect
soldiers’ eyes

04
amalgamation with 5 RAR on 3rd deployed twice to Afghanistan and
December 1973 as the Australian also contributed a security detachment
Army contracted in size. The unit platoon in Iraq.
then became known as 5/7 RAR,
and it was latterly based at
Robertson Barracks in Darwin.
The amalgamated battalion
ORGANISATION
A long part of 7 RAR’s heritage has
completed tours in Timor-Leste been its mechanised status. The M113
(East Timor) and Iraq.

In response to then Prime

Minister John Howard’s
expansion of the
army by two infantry
battalions, under the
Hardened Networked
Army initiative, 5/7 RAR
was de-linked on 5th 05
December 2006. The
following month, 7 RAR
was raised again and it
duly relocated to Horseshoe
Lines at RAAF Base Edinburgh
in Adelaide in 2010-11, where
new facilities had been built
for the shift from Darwin. The
unit was declared operationally
deployable in January 2009, a 06: The ‘Porky Seven’ logo at the unit’s new HQ
facilities on RAAF Base Edinburgh near Adelaide
02 year ahead of schedule. 7 RAR

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 39

coalition forces

armoured personnel carrier (APC)

Images © Gordon Arthur

was introduced to the Australian 08
Army in 1976, and eight years later 5/7
RAR adopted the mechanised sufx.
Furthermore, 7 RAR was the rst unit
to be equipped with the upgraded
M113AS4 when it was elded on 15th
November 2007, in Darwin.

However, in 2013 the battalion lost

its mechanised status as part of the
Plan Beersheba reorganisation. It is
now ofcially a dismounted infantry
battalion, although A Squadron of the
1st Armoured Regiment (formerly it 09
was known as D Squadron) retains its
M113ASA4 eet in Adelaide and can and
annd C Ch
Charlie
haarrlile Companies), Support Company and
provide lift for 7 RAR. A troop of around A
Ad dmmini
mi n sttra
Administration rat Company. Support Company is made
24 M113AS4 APCs can transport an up o
up off tth
the
he Mo Mortar Platoon, Reconnaissance and Sniper
M
infantry company, plus the squadron Platoon,
P
Pllatto
ooo
on,n, SSignals
ig Platoon, Direct Fire Support Platoon
has a number of support vehicles from an
and the
nd tthhe n newly
ew re-formed Pioneer Platoon. The
the same M113 family. battalion
ba
b att
t al
alio
ionn is a able to perform dismounted operations,
ass w ell as
well as b e
being at ease working with both the
As a standard infantry battalion, 7 RAR M113AS4
M1
M 113
13A
3AS4 S4 and
an nd the Bushmaster Protected Mobility
possesses a Battalion Headquarters, Vehicle
Ve
V ehihicle (PMV).
cle (PM
cl (PP About a dozen of the latter are found
three rie companies (Alpha, Bravo within
wi
w ith
thin S
thi Support
Sup
up
upp
p Company.

40 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 BOAR
BATTALION
07: The Tiered Body Armour
System was introduced in
mid-2012 - a Tier 2 TBAS
weighs 6.8kg, compared to
11kg for the MCBAS that Aussie
soldiers once wore in Iraq and
Afghanistan
08: On house-clearing
training new elements such
as hostages are gradually
introduced as small-unit
cohesion increases - for
many 7 RAR soldiers, this
will be their rst overseas
deployment
09: The Australian Army
ordered more than 1,000
Bushmasters - ‘King Kong’ is a
Bushmaster PMV belonging to
7 RAR - note the boar emblem
on the front fender
10: In Australian infantry
battalions, a company is made
up of three platoons and a
manoeuvre support section
plus a company HQ
11: Bravo Company practising
clearing a building - there
is essentially a four-month
build-up culminating in a
mission rehearsal exercise
before the team deploys to
Afghanistan
12: Overhead view of an
M113AS4 APC variant operated
by what is now A Squadron of
the 1st Armoured Regiment
who provide armoured lift for
the 7 RAR infantry battalion.
13: A close-up of a soldier clad
in the AMCU - the 3rd Brigade
has begun receiving the
new Thales EF88 rie but 1st
Brigade will not receive theirs
07 until completion of their ready
cycle
12
There is a close training area at
Edinburgh which allows live ring on a 25
metre range, although the main live-ring
range is about one hour away by road at
Murray Bridge. The nearest major training
area is Cultana, a three-hour journey
10 away.
IRAQ DEPLOYMENT
During a visit to 7 RAR, Major Darrin Ty-
son, ofcer in charge of Bravo Company,
told C&S that there are approximately
700 soldiers in the battalion. When other
army formations such as A Squadron
and logistics support are added in, RAAF
Base Edinburgh is home to about 1,500
soldiers.
Since the last deployment to Afghanistan,
that ended in December 2013, the unit
has enjoyed something of a lull in its
operational tempo in line with the army’s
three-year ready cycle. However, at
the time of the visit by C&S, 7 RAR had
its Battalion HQ and two companies
deployed to Iraq as part of Task Group
Taji-3, responsible for the training
and mentoring of Iraqi security forces
alongside a New Zealand contingent. In
11 addition, a company was in Afghanistan
providing force protection to Australian
13
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 41
 Images © Gordon Arthur unless otherwise noted
14
coalition forces
14: This 7 RAR
soldier on Exercise
TALISMAN SABRE
2009 is dressed in
a Disruptive Pattern
Desert Uniform but
his daysack and
helmet cover are in
the original colours
15: An Australian
trainer assigned to
Task Group Taji, part
of CJTF – Operation
INHERENT RESOLVE
explains aiming
to an Iraqi soldier,
October 8th 2016
[US Army: Sgt.
Joshua Wooten]
16: Soldiers of B
Company, 7 RAR
enjoy a moment
of respite in their
training regime -
they are procient
in ghting
dismounted or

BOAR
working with both
Bushmaster PMV
and M113AS4 APC

BATTALION
15 16

and Coalition mentors working within
Kabul and, nally, a company was
deployed to Rie Company Butterworth
situated near Penang, Malaysia.
Major Tyson highlighted a culture of
readiness within the battalion. From
September to December 2016, the
unit was commencing further mission
specic training to prepare for more
operations in Afghanistan. This included
such activities as qualication training
on armoured SUVs, Bushmaster PMV
qualication, medical training and live
ring. Cultural and language training
was also part of the syllabus. Only a
small proportion of 7 RAR soldiers will
have deployed before so there is a lot
of ‘fresh blood’, as one seasoned NCO
put it.
Soldiers in the Force Protection
Company are known as ‘guardian
angels’, and they protect fellow soldiers
from ‘green on blue’ incidents, as well as
from insurgents. These guardian angels
also look after VIPs, so they must be
procient in general operations (e.g. in
urban terrain), communications and rst
aid.
Further changes are afoot as the
Australian Army adopts a Multirole
Combat Brigade structure, which will
see three similarly organised brigades
reordered under Plan Beersheba. Each
brigade will be standardised with: a
Brigade HQ; an Armoured Cavalry
Regiment; two Infantry Battalions; an
Artillery Regiment; a Combat Engineer
Regiment; a Combat Service Support
Battalion; and a Combat Signals
Regiment. It is planned that the 1st
Armoured Regiment’s ACR (containing
a company each of M1A1 AIM Abrams
tanks, M113AS4s and ASLAVs) will
eventually move to Adelaide alongside
7 RAR.

42 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 Report & Images by
BOB MORRISON UK resilience

01: Commanders from the three Blue

Light services are briefed by Exercise
Directors at the assembly area a few
miles from the riot scene

CONQUER ‘16
COMBATING URBAN DISORDER
Images © Bob Morrison

On the afternoon of Tuesday 1st November, serious urban disorder broke out in
Wiltshire and nine Police Support Units from constabularies across the South
West region were called out to bring the situation back under control after sunset.
CONQUER ’16, a nine-day tactical multi-agency exercise, was set in an urban disorder
environment and aimed at testing how Police, Fire and Ambulance services cooperate
at operational and tactical levels.

T
he framework for multi-
agency interoperability
is known as JESIP (Joint
Emergency Services Inter-
operability Programme)
and highlights how Commanders from
each organisation must work together
to mitigate the risk of harm to the pub-
lic. Lessons learned from Operation KIR-
KIN, the response to the London Riots in
2011, stated that each service must work
in a more joined-up fashion in this type
of scenario and this major exercise was
evidence that this is now happening in
the South West.
Held at the MoD’s Copehill Down urban
training facility, CONQUER ’16 was
a practical demonstration of inter-
agency operability by Police, Fire and
Ambulance drawn from across South
West England, led primarily by Devon
& Cornwall Police but involving Police
Support Units called in from four
neighbouring constabularies. As luck
would have it, the exercise coincided
with the major re in medieval buildings
in Exeter’s Cathedral Yard on 28th
October where commanders from all
three emergency services had to work
together in a real life multi-agency
response in addition to participating on
the exercise.
C&S was invited to cover the third and
nal two-day rotation of CONQUER ‘16,
which involved nine 28-strong Police
Support Units from across the SW
Region being mobilised at short notice
to quell a riot and stabilise the situation.
As the entire exercise was run in total
darkness, other than the light provided
by personal torches and police van
(carrier) headlights plus the ames of
showers of petrol bombs, photography
was challenging but, by pushing

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 45

 UK resilience
Images © Bob Morrison
03
cameras to the limit, we managed to
take sufcient images to illustrate this
feature.
We joined the exercise mid-afternoon
just as the Police Support Units were
arriving at the holding area, about seven
miles from the riot scene, after travelling
in convoy from their home bases in
Avon & Somerset, Devon & Cornwall,
Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. In
times of crisis the South West Region
has to provide 27 PSUs within 24 hours,
three of which must be on the move
within one hour and six more within four
hours. Each PSU, which is formed from
specially trained volunteers, is roughly
the equivalent of a military platoon and
consists of an Inspector, 3x Sergeants,
18x Constables, 3x Drivers and 3x
Carriers.
46 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
04
As the teams prepared their gear we
were invited to listen to the 15-minute
Commanders Brieng, where senior
ofcers from the Police, Fire & Rescue
and Ambulance services were brought
up to speed by the Exercise Directors;
the key points follow.
SCENARIO
“In the last week there have been a
series of nationwide coordinated attacks
against various targets by extremist
terrorists. You are working in Copehill
Down, which is a small multicultural
town. At twelve o’clock today a soldier
has been intentionally run down and
seriously injured while off-duty. One of
the two suspects has been shot and
killed by the police while the other
suspect is in hospital.
05
“During reporting on the incident a me-
dia outlet has leaked the location of the
suspect’s hospital. Groups of protesters
have now gathered in the streets outside
the hospital. The mood is volatile and
reports are starting to come in of low
level criminal damage and harassment of
minorities in the local community.
“Update, 17:30 hours: The soldier has
died of his injuries and more people have
ooded the streets. The hospital is now
surrounded by protesters and some
have made efforts to get to the sus-
pect. The situation has become violent.
Rioters have broken into a multicultural
centre across the road from the hospital
and have occupied it. At the end of this
brieng maps will be distributed and
more will become available during the
exercise.
 “THE TOWN CENTRE IS DEVELOPING INTO
FULL-SCALE RIOTING, WITH REPORTS OF
02: The Silver
Commander briefs
LOOTING AND CRIMINAL DAMAGE COMING
assembled Police
Support Unit at the
FROM ACROSS THE TOWN.”
assembly area before
they don protective gear
and depart for Copehill
Down
03: Darkness had fallen
by the time the Police
Support Units reached
the town - each carrier
seen here contains
seven Constables and
a Driver
04: Inside the hastily
arranged Silver Cell the
commanders and local
authorities work side-
by-side to build a picture
of what is happening on
the ground
05: The Fire Service had
06
to extinguish burning
cars and barricades
inside a Police bubble
but we could not see this
from our location
06: This PSU was one of
the rst to deploy - on
the Western approach
- and the ofcers
immediately came
under attack from petrol
bombs
07: Under a hail of
missiles (baking spuds)
and petrol bombs the
PSU steadily advances
towards the hospital -
we were positioned on
its roof
02
08: The rioters - in
red and white vests
and wearing visored
helmets - were fellow
police ofcers who had
participated during the
previous rotation
09: The PSU has forced
the rioters back from the
hospital but a Violent
Person - in white vest - is
about to raise the tempo
considerably 07

08 09

“The town centre is developing into

full-scale rioting, with reports of looting
and criminal damage coming from
across the town. A small amount of local
resources, including Police Community
Support Ofcers and Neighbourhood
Police Ofcers, have been withdrawn
from the town centre for their own
safety. Two Response Police Ofcers
have remained at the hospital with
the injured suspect; they have given

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 47

UK resilience
“WE HAVE THE TRAINING. WE HAVE THE
KIT. SO AS WE WORK LATER WITH THE FIRE
SERVICE AND THE AMBULANCE SERVICE
YOU MAY WELL BE TASKED TO PROVIDE A
BUBBLE OF SAFETY FOR THEM TO ALLOW
THEM TO DO THEIR JOB.”
11
updates over the air, corroborating that
there are dozens of people in the street
directly outside the hospital. The crowd
appears to be extremely volatile. The
ofcers report they have observed some
of the crowd damaging and attempting
to gain access to the multicultural
centre directly across the road.
“The hospital staff management are
very nervous about the current situation
outside and have real concerns about
the security and integrity of the hospital.
They are asking for Police assistance in
preventing incursions to the building.
“MACP/MACA, Military Assistance to
48 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
12
the Civilian Power/ Military Assistance to
the Civilian Authority, has been initiated.
We do not currently have any military
resources alongside the resources
from these three agencies, but they
are en-route with six hours notice to
effect. Numbers of military en-route are
unknown. These resources will only be
used to protect locations of national
critical importance; i.e. government
buildings and hospitals, as directed by
the Gold Commander.
“What are we asking you to do? We
are asking you to come up with a plan
between you as to how you are going
to tackle this. Initially this is a Police-
13
only incident, but we do have Fire and
Ambulance services in there. Obviously
the hospital is affected, and Ambulance
as the gateway to the National Health
Service, and it could be that there is a
role for Fire to play.”
The various Commanders around the
table then posed a number of pertinent
questions before heading off to plan
and to brief their personnel. C&S
headed over to the hall where the Police
Support Unit ofcers had assembled to
listen to them being briefed. This lasted
slightly longer as Health & Safety issues
needed to be addressed and ground
rules set.
 10: Simultaneously,
over on the south west
approach, another
PSU was forming a
protective bubble to
allow the Fire Service to
tackle a burning car
11: This PSU is
approaching the
multicultural centre 14
across the road from the
hospital when it comes
under sustained petrol
bomb attack
12: In near darkness
a VP attacks the PSU
forming a protective
cordon around the
hospital - ofcers were
not allowed to use long
batons in defence
13: Overhead a Wiltshire
Police quadcopter (UAV)
illuminates and records
the scene - multiple
drones were used to
ensure one was always
airborne
15
14: Caught in the act, a
VP attacks the ofcers
forming the protective
cordon - the VPs did
their best to provoke
an over-reaction from
constables
15: Here a snatch team
are trying to corner,
pin down, disarm and
arrest two Violent
Persons outside the
multicultural centre
16: With the situation
outside the hospital
stabilised the Police
formed a protective
bubble to allow us
10 to move to a second
location
16

POLICE SUPPORT that just came over the hill. We are now
going to give you a rough and ready
job. I would like to emphasise that at
any stage I would expect them to be

UNIT BRIEFING brieng with no visual aids, which we

know you’re not used to...”
working in our bubble, not beyond it.”

As we have seen many times when

covering urban disorder in Northern
Ireland, Police command structure is
broken down into three levels; Gold
Commander is in overall charge at
HQ, Silver Commander controls the
incident at local level, and Bronze
Commanders are out on the ground.
The Silver Commander repeated and
expanded the earlier brieng, tailoring it
specically to his ofcers.
He commenced: “Good evening ladies
and gentlemen, I am Superintendent
S. from Devon & Cornwall Police, the
Silver Commander for this evening. This
isn’t a polished brieng because it is a
spontaneous incident, so we’ve got no
powerpoint. We are playing it like this
was for real. The incident happened at
12 o’clock today, and we’re the cavalry
The Superintended concluded his
brieng: “It would appear offenders
have gained access to an electricity sub-
station and there is no street lighting so,
bearing in mind it is coming up to dusk,
we are going to be working in the pitch
black this evening.
“We will be joined by our colleagues
from the Fire Service, who we will be
working with during the evening, and
also a team of HART [Hazardous Area
Response Team] Paramedics. It is
our job to provide assistance to them
and protection to them. We have the
training. We have the kit. So as we
work later with the Fire Service and the
Ambulance Service you may well be
tasked to provide a bubble of safety
for them to allow them to do their
IN THE THICK OF IT
As the police ofcers strapped on
their gear, we were taken off ahead
of them and escorted up to the roof
of the hospital, from where we we
would be able to view a good portion
of the action. Police ofcers who had
previously gone through a similar
scenario during an earlier rotation,
identiable by red or white vests over
their ame-proof coveralls and wearing
visored helmets, were playing the hostile
crowd and as the air would soon be
full of ying petrol bombs and missiles
(baking potatoes) we had to observe
from this safe location for the next hour,
until the situation had stabilised.
Within a few minutes of us getting into
position, the blue lights of the rst of

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 49

UK resilience

17
the PSU carriers
appeared in the 18
dark distance,
17: On the North West
partially obscured approach more Police
by smoke support Units were
from burning under sustained attack
barricades - by now Copehill Down
was in a full-on riot
drifting out
from the town. 18: The crew of this
Down below, HART (Hazardous Area
Response Team) Land
the chanting Rover were attending
crowd was to a real-time burns
psyching itself casualty - fortunately
not serious
up to break into
the hospital and 19: At EndEx the Police
the situation in Support Units withdrew
to the assembly area
the multicultural for a debrief and well-
centre across the deserved rest before the
road was far from next day’s training
clear. Then some
idiot set light to a car on the forecourt
of the lling station down the road... 19
We will now let the pictures do the
talking and conclude by saying we
now have a much better idea of how
Police Support Ofcers train and are
commanded. There are, of course,
parallels with some aspects of military
training, but there are also some major
differences - not least the amount of
violence and aggression that those
volunteers for this specialist secondary
role have to soak up in training to
ensure they are well prepared for what
they might face out on Britain’s streets.
Hopefully, we will get the chance to
come back to this interesting subject in
the not too distant future.

50 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 Report & Images by
alliance forces BOB MORRISON

VENERABLE
GAUNTLET
UK-LED NATO VJTF(L) IN ACTION
Exercise
Exercise VVENERABLE
ENERABLE G GAUNTLET
AUNTLET w
was
as tthe
he
UK’ national
UK’s ti l validation
lid ti exercise
i for
f the
th NATO
NATO
Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (Land)
2017 Headquarters, which is based upon 20th
Armoured Infantry Brigade. Each of the 14
troop contributing nations for next year’s Task
Force participated on these multinational
manoeuvres with elements of the personnel
and equipment they would deploy with the
VJTF(L) should NATO’s interests or borders be
threatened.

20th Armoured
Brigade provides the
Iron Fist in the 3rd
[UK] Division
Images © Bob Morrison

01

A
t the height of the
exercise, held on the
Sennelager Training
area in Germany, units
from 20th Armoured
Brigade supported by a Polish
Mechanised Infantry Battalion, an
Estonian Mechanised Infantry Company,
a Spanish Light Role Infantry Company,
a Norwegian Reconnaissance Platoon,
Danish Armoured Engineers, Spanish
Artillery and Romanian Military Police
conducted a dynamic display in
front of Distinguished Visitors and
Military Observers. In total around
3,000 personnel from the 7,000-
strong VJTF preparing for the 2017
rotation participated on VENERABLE
GAUNTLET ‘16 (VEGT16) and this
display, held in the third week of joint
training, was intended to illustrate
the potential of one of its integrated
battlegroup formations, within this
case the 1 PWRR (1st Battalion of the
Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment)
forming its core.
VJTF MISSION: To assure, deter and
contribute to countering threats against
Alliance territory and populations,
with a priority to Article 5, in order
to demonstrate a collective Alliance
response throughout Supreme
Allied Commander Europe’s Area of
Operations and potentially beyond. The
rapid arrival in the region of this small
but capable military unit is intended
to send a very clear message to any
potential aggressor: “Any attempt to
violate the sovereignty of one NATO

52 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 03

01: A pair
of Queen’s
Royal Hussars
Challenger 2
Main Battle
Tanks advance
followed by a Royal
Engineers’ Trojan
AVRE
02: An Estonian 04
infantry company
in Patria (formerly
SISU) XA-188 Pasi
6x6 wheeled APCs
waits to advance
from dead ground
03: Elite Norwegian
reconnaissance
troops lay down
covering re to
allow colleagues
to withdraw as the
enemy reacts to
the battlegroup 05
advance
04: A mast-
mounted radar
atop a Piranha
III belonging to
the 1st Danish
Artillery Regiment
determines the
location of enemy
artillery batteries
05: An artillery
barrage is dropped
on the enemy
positions to keep
06
heads down - the
FV106 Samson nation will result in a decisive military
represents an engagement with all 28 Allied nations”.
enemy vehicle
06: An RDG FV107 VEGT16 SCENARIO: There has been a
Scimitar moving
forward at speed border incursion, which NATO had tried to
to take up an deter by speedily deploying the VJTF(L)
overwatch position in-theatre, into an Alliance country. Enemy
as the Armoured
Engineers advance have occupied positions [600 metres
to breach defences from our observation point] which need
07: The TROJAN to be cleared. This operation will involve
AVRE (Armoured breaching the defensive mineeld [notional]
Vehicle Royal and barbed wire entanglements with
Engineers) starts
to clear razor armoured engineer assets supported by
wire - its excavator follow-on tanks and armoured infantry who
arm is swinging will then dismount and recover the enemy-
forward to assist
removal held positions.

ACTION: Norwegian forward

02 reconnaissance assets in concealed
positions on the Alliance side of the
mineeld observe enemy activity as the
VJTF battlegroup assembles, but as
enemy artillery starts to target the area
they withdraw under covering re from
colleagues. As the enemy begins to target
the advancing VJTF battlegroup a Danish
Artillery Regiment locating team in a
Piranha 3 with specialist radar identies the
enemy gun line and passes the location to a
Spanish artillery battery to silence the threat.
With the enemy artillery silenced the Royal
Dragoon Guards in FV107 Scimitars move
forward to identify the enemy trenches.

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 53

 alliance forces
Images © Bob Morrison

07

British and Danish armoured engineering

assets, supported by Challenger 2 Main 09
Battle Tanks, now move forward to
breach and mark two lanes through the
mineeld and razor wire entanglements
for the rst of three waves of infantry.
On the enemy’s left ank a joint British
and Polish formation of anti-armour and
machinegun teams moves into position
to provide re support for the main
assault as 1 PWRR mounted in FV510
Warriors advance to contact supported
by Queens Royal Hussars Challenger
2 tanks. Behind the British armoured
infantry a second wave, consisting of
Polish mechanised infantry in tracked
BWP carriers accompanied by more
QRH Challengers heads for the second
line of enemy positions. A third wave,
consisting of Estonian mechanised
infantry in 6x6 Patria Pasi carriers and established, UK air defence moved an Armoured Infantry Battlegroup; an
Polish mechanised infantry in 8x8 KTO forward into emplacements and Spanish Artillery Group; an Engineer Group;
Rosomak carriers, held in reserve passes light role infantry move forward to Armoured Cavalry; a Multi-Role Signal
through the rst and second waves to relieve the assault force. Regiment; Military Police; Air Defence;
snuff out the last of the invaders. Attack and Support Helicopters; and
STATISTICS: The UK is supporting a Combat Service Support Group(to
Once the positions have been the VJTF(L)17 with the following include Logistic Support, Medical
reoccupied and the block on the capabilities: the VJTF(L) Brigade HQ (20 Support and Equipment Support). Other
international border had been re- Armd Bde); a Light Infantry Battlegroup; NATO partner contributions include:

54 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 07: A Danish Leopard
08 Bergepanzer 2 AVRE
(known as Wisent 1)
assists the British
TROJAN clear paths
through the enemy
defences
08: An anti-armour
team from 1 PWRR
deploys from their
FV510 Warrior AIFV
with Javelin LFATGWS to
engage the enemy from
their ank
09: Polish infantrymen
and their BWP-1
Infantry Fighting
Vehicle - Poland’s
version of the BMP -
support the 1 PWRR
anti-armour team
10: A PWRR Warrior AIFV
accompanied by a QRH
Challenger 2 MBT surge
through the breach to
assault the main enemy
positions
11: Polish infantry in
BWP-1s accompanied
by another QRH
Challenger dismount to 12
clear enemy trenches
in a joint assault
12: Dismounted PWRR
infantrymen advance
on another enemy
position while a second
Warrior AIFV covers
their left ank
13: The Estonian
infantry with their
Patria Pasi wheeled
APCs pass through the
British to push home
the attack as enemy
resistance crumbles
14: A British Stormer
HVM system providing
close air defence
moves forward past a
Danish M113 - behind
are more Warriors in
dead ground

10

13

11

14

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 55

 15
alliance forces

Images © Bob Morrison

15: Prior to the

armoured advance
elite Norwegian
recce troops
15 helped provide
the multinational
an Albanian Light Infantry Company; a and Mechanised Infantry Company; a Romanian Military brigade’s eyes on
the battleeld
Czech Chemical Biological Radiological Croatian Military Police Platoon and Police Company; and a
and Nuclear Defence Company; a Civil-Military Cooperation Team; a US Field Hospital and 16: Two Polish
infantry companies,
Danish Armoured Infantry Battlegroup, Lithuanian Armoured Infantry Company; Aviation component. one with tracked
Reconnaissance Group, Engineer a Latvian Light Infantry Company; a BWP and the other
Company and Civil-Military Co-operation Netherlands Reconnaissance Squadron; Footnote: For more with wheeled KTO
Rosomak, took
Team; a Spanish Infantry Battlegroup, a Norwegian Reconnaissance Platoon; images of participating part on VENERABLE
Artillery Battery, Engineer Company a Polish Mechanised Battlegroup; a armour turn to Page 72. GAUNTLET ‘16

56 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

HAIX
footwear

FACTORY VISIT 03

MALA SUBOTICA MANUFACTURING FACILITY

Two years ago, while in Bavaria visiting the Gore-Tex
laboratories and design facilities, I spent an interesting
afternoon at the Mainburg head oce and factory of
uniform boot manufacturers HAIX, who are one of the
primary military footwear manufacturers the breathable
membrane manufacturer works closely with. Back then,

T
he extended HAIX AIX
HAIX were doubling the size of their Croatian boot factory manufacturing
Images © Bob Morrison unless otherwise noted

and we expressed interest in visiting it. facilities are at

Mala Subotica,
a village close
02 to the county town of
ýakovec and next to a
major motorway, about
one hour North-East
of Zagreb. This part of
the former Yugoslavia
has a long tradition of
shoemaking and when
Ewald Haimerl, the CEO off
HAIX and son of the founder, er,
was looking for somewhere e in
Europe to build a new state-of-e-of-
the-art facility with a ready pool
of skilled labour close by, Mala
Subotica was just right.

58 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 01: Just part of the main
01 assembly area at Mala
Subotica seen from an
upstairs conference
room
02: With up to 10,000
pairs being produced
each day the company
now makes its own
soles
03: A display case
containing just 40 of
the footwear designs
currently in production
04: Down on the shop
oor conditions are
bright warm and
incredibly clean
05: Although HAIX soles
are now produced the
company also uses
VIBRAM soles where
specied
06: To ensure
continuous production
massive quantities
of materials and part
assemblies are stored
07: Every incoming 04
leather hide is checked
for thickness to ensure
consistency
08: Precision cut
components are
assembled in batches
by skilled machinists
09: Ewald Haimerl,
shoemaker, boot
designer, volunteer
reghter and CEO of 05 06 07
the company [© HAIX]

08

The HA
HAIX footwear business was manufacture. Ewald joined the
founded in 1948 by Ewald’s
found family business as a shoemaker
father Xaver, who added the
fath and also served as a volunteer
rst
rs letter of his Christian reghter in Mainburg, working
name
na to the rst three of his his way up to being the town’s
surname
su to give an unique Deputy Fire Chief in addition
company name, and in time
co to being a certied master
his venture evolved into a shoemaker.
highly successful and well
hig
09 regarded hiking and work boot
regar In 1992, Ewald brought the two

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 59

footwear
10
11
12
sides of his life together by designing
a new and highly functional leather re
boot to overcome problems with the
old traditional rubber boot, and just
one year later his new boot took off
13 spectacularly, setting a benchmark for
reghter boots around the globe.
60 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
Images © Bob Morrison unless otherwise noted
14
By the end of the 1990s HAIX were
producing 100,000 pairs of boots and
work shoes annually, mostly for the
uniformed services, and in 2003 they
established a subsidiary company in
Kentucky to service the North American
markets. Three years later, production
 “NOBODY THOUGHT THE FACTORY
WOULD NEED TO DOUBLE IN SIZE
FROM 2014. IN 2015 HAIX PRODUCED
AN INCREDIBLE ONE MILLION PAIRS
OF BOOTS AND SHOES...”

10: A Fire & Rescue boot

with a specialist Gore-
Tex laminate during
injection moulded sole
manufacture
11: This is how the many
components in that red
bin look once stitched
together
12: The assemblies are
now taking shape and
beginning to look like
combat boots
13: Just some of the
leather, fabric and foam
components that make
up a French Army boot
14: The machinists work
in teams on different
aspects of shoe and
boot construction
15: Gore-Tex breathable 17
laminates are tested
under pressure on the
production line
16: Note how thick the
pink foam padding is
underneath that ankle
protector rubber
17: The complete uppers
awaiting attachment
of their composite
moulded outsoles
18: Consistently
applying bonding
adhesive to boots and
outsoles requires
teamwork

15

16
had quadrupled from the 1999 gure,
and the company started looking for
somewhere to expand, as not only was
their Mainburg factory close to capacity
but they were also having problems
recruiting more factory workers in that
part of Bavaria.
18
In 2009 construction was well underway
at the new facility in Mala Subotica,
which was designed from the outset
to be exceptionally environmentally
friendly and to also offer the best
working conditions for the staff.
Capacity at this new plant was intended
to be 3,000 pairs a day, but not long
after it became fully functional the
future order books were so full that it
was realised a major expansion would
be needed; fortunately, this possibility
had been anticipated when the site was
picked, but nobody thought the factory
would need to double in size from 2014.
In 2015 HAIX produced an incredible
one million pairs of boots and shoes,
with 95% of the materials sourced in
Europe.
At the time of our visit to Croatia in mid-
October the factory was weekly turning
out 18,000 pairs of the new French
Army CCCE combat boot, available
for private purchase as the Nepal
PRO. Naturally when taking photos
on the oor we focused on these, but
they were by no means the only style
being produced on the day of our visit
and we also saw batches of specialist
reghter boots and desert boots, in
the latter case part of a batch for a Gulf
Region government, going down the
line. In case unaware, since 2012 HAIX
have been suppliers for three of the ve

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 61

 Images © Bob Morrison unless otherwise noted
footwear
19: Andreas
Himmelreich,
the HAIX Head of
Research & Design,
is also a volunteer
reghter [© HAIX]
20: HAIX
manufacture a
wide range of boots
for all the uniform
services - this is
the Black Eagle
21: HAIX desert
boots awaiting
nishing prior to
despatch to a Gulf
Region customer
22: At the time of
our visit the team
were turning out
18,000 pairs of
French Army boots
each week

19
UK MoD combat boot categories, and
the company’s boots are also worn by 21
German and Dutch troops.

Primary design and prototype work

on the HAIX’s specialist re, police
and military footwear ranges, which
currently account for 62% of company
shoe and boot output, are undertaken
at the Mainburg headquarters in
Bavaria but there is also design ofce
in Croatia. This was the only part of
the massive complex where we were,
quite understandably, asked not to
photograph but we were introduced
to the designers and and even shown
some innovative concepts which could
soon be incorporated into the ever-
expanding HAIX product range.

Over the years I have visited many

factories and manufacturing facilities,
in both the military and general
engineering elds, and indeed in a 22
previous career I worked in quite a
few. Few have been as interesting as
the HAIX facility in Mala Subotica and I
could happily toured the factory again if
only there had been time.

20

62 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

comfort & Survival
OUTDOOR GEAR
Images © Mike Gormley unless noted
01
02
COLEMAN CXS 250
HEAD TORCH
S
traight away you will notice this
looks a bit different to the norm
03 of head torches - a bit space-
age, in fact. It does not stop
at looks though, as this head torch has
some interesting features.
At 250 lumens the CXS 250 packs a
punch at full power, has a several power
and light settings and, good for us, it has
a default rst-on red light so protects
the user from putting out a blaze of
white light when wanting to stay covert.
04 Interestingly, and I think a very useful
feature for this and other Coleman
torches, it has a battery disconnect. By
simply pulling the light unit away a little
from the main body you completely
disconnect the batteries. This has the
effect of making sure there is no drain
on the batteries over longer term
storage but again, for the likes of the
tactical C&S user, it protects against
64 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
BY MIKE GORMLEY
05
inadvertent switching on. Not only as
a potential give-away, but also when a
torch is stuffed in a Bergen it is only too
easy to accidentally turn on, so when
needed the batteries are dead. Been
there? So have I!
Another issue I have with many head
torches is the switch. Often quite tricky
to operate and, coupled with gloves /
cold hands etc., it just gets worse. For
a start, the CXS has a positive and easy
to use switch. And, once switched on, it
can be changed from setting to setting
by passing the hand across the front of
the torch – funky. The CXS uses a mix of
its LEDs to give low, wide, and distance
light and does so well.
01: THE FRONT VIEW OF THE CXS IS A BIT UNUSUAL.
02: THE CENTRAL RED LED COMES ON FIRST EVERY TIME
03: THE WHITE LEDS CAN BE USED INDIVIDUALLY OR TOGETHER TO
PROVIDE THE REQUIRED AMOUNT OF LIGHT
04: TO ISOLATE THE BATTERY SIMPLY PULL THE BODY APART - RED
MARKER INDICATES POWER IS DISCONNECTED
05: CXS SEEN HERE WITH TWO WHITE LEDS ON TO GIVE MORE
BRIGHTNESS

06
TEXENERGY INFINITE
ORBIT CHARGER
A
s I write this, in mid-winter
[albeit very sunny over past
days], it shows up the short-
comings of solar and wind
produced power. Short days of often
very limited light, and possibly no wind,
can leave you unable to re-power your
devices. When off-grid it is ever more
important for us to have power and the
ability to be able to generate our own.
There is nothing wrong with solar
power, and I have covered a number
of these systems on these pages and
will continue to do so. Wind, I have not
covered, but will soon. This brings me to
the Innite Orbit. Winding a handle to
produce power is not new but the Orbit
is an up-to-date, practical, well thought
out personal power generator well-
suited to those who venture ‘off piste’.
This is, perhaps, no surprise when you
learn the CEO of TexEnergy, Jerry ‘Tex’
Ranger, is a former Royal Marine who,
since leaving the Corps, has spent many
years in this line of business.
The rst thing that is obvious about
the Orbit is the build quality. The unit
is compact and easy to use. It packs
08
07
away neatly into
its supplied pouch
and is not heavy,
nor does it take
up much space.
Perhaps the down
side is that it does
take effort. Unlike
the popular opinion
09 that electrical
energy is ‘just
there’ at the click of a switch, it actually
requires other energy input to produce.
In the case of the Orbit, this means you.
Other options to this will be available
soon, and I will bring them to you in
time, but with Orbit you have to hand
crank to produce the power. There is
an added bonus, as if you are in a cold
dark tent your exertion will help to keep
you warm as well as producing power.
Electricity is not stored in the Orbit, so
you plug in the relevant device - phone,
GPS, torch, watch, camera, battery
pack or whatever - wind away and
immediately you will see the item begin
to recharge. You will feel the drag on the
10
11
Images © Mike Gormley unless noted
handle as you crank, so you know you
are producing energy and transferring it
to the device of choice.
I think it is reasonable to say that you
would need to be pretty committed to
make this your only source of electrical
power. It needs a fair bit of cranking to
ll a smart phone from empty. However,
when in need of a recharge for whatever
essential device has gone dead, and
it’s a dark and windless night, a few
minutes of cranking will save the day.
Apart from the emergency situation,
with a bit of forethought, you can plug
in and re-power your devices when you
have nothing else to do with your hands.
Perhaps as you wait for the water to get
hot for a brew, maybe when reading
a book or even when walking. You do
not have to crank fast, in fact it is better
to keep it steady. The handle is only
lightly secured into the generator so it is
designed come out if you over-speed.
Innite Orbit chargers are already in
use worldwide, both with adventurers
and in places where there is no real way
of producing electrical energy such as
disaster areas. There will be more to
come from TexEnergy, as I know of
some new developments due to go to
market soon, and we will cover these in
due course.
06: TEXENERGY ORBIT WITH CASE - IT COMES WITH DETACHABLE
CRANK AND CABLE WITH ALTERNATIVE ADAPTORS
07: HERE RECHARGING AN IPHONE - GENERATING ENOUGH POWER
FOR AN EMERGENCY CALL DOES NOT TAKE LONG
08: THE ORBIT CAN BE USED TO CHARGE MANY DEVICES INCLUDING
DIGITAL CAMERAS AS HERE
09: THE ORBIT HAS NO BUILT-IN POWER STORAGE BUT IS ABLE TO
RECHARGE BATTERIES SUCH AS THESE AAA CELLS
10: TEXENERGY ARE IN THE FINAL STAGES OF DEVELOPING A WAY
POWERING THE ORBIT USING WIND - THIS IS A PROTOTYPE BEING
TESTED IN THE ALPS
11: OUR EDITOR ALSO CARRIES AN ORBIT ON HIS TRAVELS - THIS IS
HIS CHARGER CONNECTED TO HIS TABLET
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 65
comfort & Survival

Images © Mike Gormley unless noted

13

12

HAGLOFS ESSENS
MIMIC JACKET
H
ere is one more for that age
old discussion / decision;
do I go for a down ll or a
synthetic ll jacket?

On one hand, you wonder why we

should try to re-invent the wheel when
the likes of geese and ducks produce a
very good way of keeping warm, even
if they do live with their bums in water
much of the time. The truth is when
we take over their down, when they no
longer have a use for it, we are unable to
maintain it to work when wet. There are
ways of improving this, but...

Many companies look to replicate

the benets of down without the
disadvantages. Enter a new one from
Haglofs, the Quad Fusion Mimic with
a clue in its name. I have a full-on down
jacket I bought in Nepal a few years
back, and it is like putting on a central
heating system on a cold day. In fact we
(Jean has one as well) look forward to
cold weather so we can wear them. But,
there is no way these go out if there is
any chance of rain, which is a bit limiting
in our Western European climate.
With this Mimic jacket there is no
problem and I have worn it out when
there is rain about, as well as on chill
nights. A good sign with this jacket was
an immediate “I like that” from Jean. I
have to say, I like it as well, and wore it
often during that cold weather we had
as November turned to December.
PRODUCT UK CONTACT
Coleman Coleman
Haglofs Haglofs
TexEnergy Whitby and Co.
Unlike my down jacket, this one is light
and can be packed away. If scrunched
up and stuffed away it immediately
springs back to life and is ready to go. It
has a good and adjustable hood with a
slightly different way of doing this and
the neck zips up high to complete a
good weather-resistant barrier around
your neck. Elasticated cuffs keep the
draught out. In the absence of rain for
now, I resorted to the ‘arm under the tap
TELEPHONE
01275 845 024
+46 226 670 70
01539 721032
test’ and even prolonged water on the
seams did not penetrated the material.
The hand and generous chest pockets
go to make this a good all round jacket
for the winter or other times of year
when it gets chill.
12: THE MIMIC HAS A VERY GOOD AND ADJUSTABLE HOOD AND HIGH
NECK PROTECTION
13: THE HOOD IS PERMANENT BUT LAYS BACK OUT OF THE WAY WHEN
NOT IN USE
WEB
coleman.eu
haglofs.com
texenergy.co.uk

66 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 SUBSCRIBE & SURVIVE!
FREE SURVIVAL KIT
with every 12 Month Subscription
rip
ption courtesy
of militarykit.com worth £16.50!
16..50!
CLAIM YOUR FREE KIT NOW,
W,
INCLUDING:
Reective Survival Blanket
Magnesium, int and steel restarter
tarrter
SOS Compass
Water Resistant Survival Case
with Signalling Mirror

For many more great products,

visit militarykit.com

PLUS
Save 10% off cover price
Free delivery to your door**

Sub Rates: 12 Issues

UK: £43.35
Europe (Airmail): £54.95
Worldwide (Airmail): £59.95
To receive your free Survival Kit, just add the
ffollowing
ll i for
f postage
t and
d packaging:
k i
UK - Free of charge
Europe - £8.10 Worldwide - £8.60

THREE EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE...

 order online at
www.combatandsurvival.com 
COMBAT & SURVIVAL - LOW PRICE SUBSCRIPTION OFFER (1 YEAR ONLY + FREE GIFT)
by phone
01484 437319 order by post
fill out and return the coupon

† YES! Please start my low-price subscription to Combat & Survival for 12 issues and send Forname: .....................................................................................................

me my free Survival Kit gift starting my subscription from issue:______________________ Surname: .....................................................................................................

Cheque/PO or credit card payment - 1 year (12 issues). Address: ......................................................................................................

† UK £43.35 † Europe (Air) £54.95 † World (Air) £59.95 ....................................................................................................................
Please include P&P † UK - FOC † Europe - £8.10 † Worldwide - £8.60
................................................................. Postcode: .................................
† I enclose a cheque/PO made payable to Hit Media Ltd
Or please charge my: † Visa † Mastercard
Tel: ..............................................................................................................

Email: ..........................................................................................................
Credit Card number: _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _

Expiry Date: _ _ / _ _ Card Security Code: _ _ _ Issue No: _ _

Please indicate if you do not wish to receive special offers from
companies other than Hit Media Ltd or if you are under 18 years of †
age. All gifts subject to availability. We reserve the right to substitute a
Signed: ___________________________________________ Date:_____________________ gift of a similar value. Please allow 28 days for delivery

Return your completed subscription to: Hit Media Ltd, 1st Floor Turnbridge Mills, Quay Street, Huddersfield, HD1 6QT
ALL PAYMENTS IN £ STERLING ONLY, THIS OFFER SUPERCEDES ALL PREVIOUS OFFERS. T&CS APPLY.
 security industry
SPIES AND COUNTER
INTELLIGENCE...
THE ONGOING GREAT GAME
T
he German Federal
Intelligence Service
(Bundesnachrichtendienst
or BND) has reportedly
recently arrested one of its
ofcers for compromising operations
against Islamic terrorists by warning the
subjects of surveillance and planning an
attack on his place of work. This event
has highlighted that recruiting spies,
whether against foreign nations or
terrorists, is still a daily activity around
the world and that, as Alex Younger,
the head of MI6, recently pointed out-
intelligence agencies “...are the secret
front line, operating upstream in the
shadows”.
The individual was a convert to Islam
and married with four children. He had
previously acted in porn movies and
yet was seen by his colleagues as an
inconspicuous individual. This event
has caused considerable reputational
damage to BND and it could be said
that his recruitment was a failure of the
personnel vetting system but, as past
events have shown, vetting is not as
straightforward as it seems.
All intelligence agencies seek to
identify, recruit, train and run agents
inside target organisations. These will
be Primary Agents with direct access
to information, or Secondary Agents
with indirect access. There are then
Supporting Agents that carry out
tasks in support of tradecraft, such as
surveillance and counter-surveillance.
Each agent potentially runs his own
network to increase the amount of
intelligence. Agents are recruited
already in place within the target
organisation or are recruited outside
and encouraged to join.
Image © Bob Morrison: Military Scene
One of the best organisations to
penetrate is the enemy’s intelligence
services, which will enable you to know
who the enemy’s agents are within your
organisations and what intelligence is
being sought (this is a part of counter-
intelligence). You also need to hire
intelligence ofcers who are from
the same culture, with the relevant
linguistic capability, to provide input
into your intelligence assessments.
There are also now virtual agents
that create false identities, known
as sockpuppets, in terrorist internet
forums that seek information on the
68 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
identities of the other forum users and
what information they are seeking.
Past history has shown us that the
vetting process isn’t perfect in any
organisation, as people and their
loyalties are complex and not always
what they seem. Britain suffered
from the famous ‘Cambridge Five’ of
Blunt, Burgess, Maclean, Philby and
Cairncross, who were all communists
and recruited into MI5, MI6 and the
Foreign Ofce whilst working for the
KGB. They caused incredible damage
and compromised both operations
and agents who were subsequently
executed by the Russians. Much
has been made of their individual
human factors such as homosexuality,
womanising and drinking which would
potentially make them susceptible for
blackmail by any foreign intelligence
service but yet they were all traitors
for ideological reasons and
were willing recruits for
the Russians.
The Americans
also suffered
from Russian
penetration as
well. The John
Walker spy ring (a
Naval Ofcer involved
in communications security),
Aldrich Ames (the CIA head
of Soviet counter intelligence),
Richard Hannsen (FBI Counter
Intelligence), and Larry Wu-Tai
Chin (a translator at the CIA spying
for China) all did untold damage
to the US and led to the arrest and
execution of US agents in Russia
and China. These agents all spied
for nancial gain.
Some agents work for
romantic reasons, such
as Clayton Lonetree
(USMC) who
had fallen
for Violleta
Sanni, a
Russian girl
working as a
translator at the
US Embassy in Moscow.
She introduced him to an
‘Uncle Sasha’ (a KGB ofcer)
and he handed over plans
of the embassy and details
of American agents. The Russians
themselves have been penetrated by
Western Intelligence agencies, and
agents working for the West have
included Colonel Penkovsky (an ofcer
of the GRU) and Oleg Gordievsky
(KGB) who both spied for ideological
reasons.
Neither is it the rst time that the
Germans have suffered spies. Previous
cases have included Heinz Felfe (the
head of Soviet Counter Intelligence in
the BND), Horst Wendland (the deputy
chief of the BND) and Rear Admiral
Herman Ludke (deputy head of NATO
logistics) who all spied for ideology for
a variety of Eastern Bloc intelligence
services. Also Irmgard Romer and
Leonore Sutterlein (both secretaries
at the Bonn Foreign Ofce) who fell
for honey-traps and spied for the East
German Stasi.
It would be easy to say “do not recruit
people into the intelligence services
who have exploitable behaviour” or
“don’t seem to be the grey man” -
but how would we get grey men to
take risks important for
successful operations?
Anyone ‘perfect’ is
probably not human
and we must remember
that ‘perfection’ is no
indicator of loyalty or
of a stable personality.
After all Churchill
was known to sleep
until noon, took
opium in college
and drank a quart
of whisky every
evening and in
contrast Adolf
Hitler was a non-
smoker, occasional
drinker and never cheated on his
wife. Whose loyalty would you trust?
By Robert Shaw
ROBERT SHAW of
LONGBOW SOLUTIONS
is a former British Army
ATO and IEDD/WIS
Operator who is now a
security and intelligence
trainer and consultant.
 scale models

KIT BOX
ROUND-UP
RUSSIAN TRUCKS & WHEELED VEHICLES PT.2
For those who grew up in the 1960s building model kits, the choice in subjects was
largely dictated by the two main manufacturers, namely Airx and Revell, and if you
wanted a model of something not oered by these two companies... tough! Since then
things have changed signicantly and today it would seem that you can get kits of
just about anything, even obscure subjects and the very latest of military hardware.
In the November issue we looked at various KrAZ truck models and this month we
conclude the Kit Box Round-Up series with a handful of other interesting Russian kits.

T
rumpeter offer model kits
of several variants of the
smaller GAZ-66 4x4 truck,
Images © respective manufacturers
Rocket Launcher; MAZ-537; GAZ-39371 vehicle, namely the GAZ-233014 STS
MPMV; 130mm Coastal Defence Gun; Tiger Armoured High-Mobility Vehicle.
A-222 ‘Bereg’; Ural 4320; KZKT-537L This vehicle is popularly known as the

these being the standard
cargo truck, an ‘oil’ tanker
(which I suspect is actually a fuel tanker)
and a light anti-aircraft truck with a ZU-
23-2 gun mounted on the rear bed. Each
retails at around £40.00 and, in general,
has been well received as a model with
a good level of detail and no real con-
struction problems to talk of.
This manufacturer does in fact offer a
massive range of Russian vehicle kits, far
too many to list here, but amongst them
are: the Scud-B, BM-21 Grad Multiple
Tractor; and SA-8 Gecko. All are due to
be joined very shortly by the 3S51M SPU
4K51 ‘Rubezh’ Coastal Missile System
and 9P113 TEL 9K52 Luna-M ‘Frog-7’
Short-range Artillery Rocket System.
The last two vehicles are due to land on
UK shores shortly and while we don’t
have an RRP for them, I would anticipate
them to be around the £80.00 mark,
given their size and the current price of
similar size models from Trumpeter.
To wrap up, I just wanted to mention
one more kit, this time of an armoured
‘Russian Hum-vee’ as visually it has
certain similarities and it fulls similar
roles. This kit is offered by Meng
Models and as such has a terric level
of detail. It is one of their Velociraptor
range and retails at around the £30.00
mark, dependent on where you buy it
from. It includes options to show the
doors open or closed and features
a fully detailed interior, with internal
camouage decals, plus clear and
etched parts.
Happy modelling.

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 69

 vehicle focus
01

Report & Images by

BOB MORRISON

URO VAMTAC
SPANISH HUM-VEE EQUIVALENT
Images © Bob Morrison

The VAMTAC, short for Vehículo de Alta Movilidad Táctico or High Mobility Tactical
Vehicle, manufactured by URO Vehículos Especiales of Santiago de Compostella in
north-west Spain, is both visually and dimensionally quite similar to the US HMMWV
(High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle) or Hum-vee. Although used by other
nations, as the bulk of production to date has gone to the Spanish Army it is not a
vehicle that has appeared too often in the pages of C&S... until this month.

F
irst produced for the
Spanish Armed Forces 02
in 1998, with well over
2,000 examples being
procured for them over
the next 15 years, VAMTAC has been
produced in both softskin and armoured
versions. There are two noticeably
different wheelbases, standard and
extended, and several different body
congurations have been produced for
specic roles.

70 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 01: Romanian
VAMTAC spotted
near Drawsko
06
Pomorskie on
ANAKONDA 16
02: From this
angle the up-
armour package
to the crew
compartment is
visible
03: Standard
conguration
lightly armoured
VAMTAC S3 at
03 Eurosatory 2008
07
04: This vehicle
is tted with a
Remote Weapon
Station mounting
a 7.62mm gun
05: Extended
wheelbase ST5
command variant
on VEGT16 - note
roof air-con packs
06: This Spanish
Legion S3 was
participating in
VEGT16 dynamic
display 08
07: Later
conguration
Spanish Legion
VAMTAC S3 - note
04 side vision blocks
08: Spanish
Legion on patrol
near Sennelager
- machinegun is
12.7mm calibre
09: Spanish
Paratrooper ST3
at San Gregorio
during TRIDENT
09
JUNCTURE ‘15
10: Extended
wheelbase ST3
at San Gregorio
with two standard
vehicles behind
11: In the
foreground a
platoon of Light
Role infantry with
05 their VAMTAC
carriers
In 2015 we spotted both standard and ‘16 in Poland in June, we spotted and 10
extended wheelbase S3 light armoured photographed what we believe to be
variants, we believe from the second up-armoured S3 versions used by the
production batch ordered by the Romanian contingent.
Spanish government in the middle
of the last decade, at close quarters Unfortunately, on all three occasions
on the CENAD San Gregorio training in 2015/16, due to scheduling clashes,
area during TRIDENT JUNCTURE ‘15. we did not have either the time or the
In the distance we also watched a opportunity to undertake detailed
Spanish Light Role infantry company photographs of any of these vehicles,
participating in the dynamic display, but but at least we were able to snap them
unfortunately that action took place too
far away for us to identify which model
for the record. Back in June 2008, at
the Eurosatory defence expo in Paris,
11
these were. we were also able to photograph one
of the standard wheelbase lightly
While visiting Sennelager during armoured S3 versions, of which
Exercise VENERABLE GAUNTLET almost 1,000 are believed to have
‘16 in September, we were able to been ordered. Incidentally, one of the
photograph more heavily armoured graphics on the URO stand stated that
standard wheelbase S3 variants, ordered at this time over 3,000 units had been
in 2012, serving with Spanish Legion sold. At least eight other nations use, or
contingent. Prior to this, on ANAKONDA have used the VAMTAC.

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 71


alliance forces
COALITION
ARMOUR
I
In the main VEGT16 feature
we mentioned several types
of armoured vehicles used by
the British-led battlegroup, not
all of which may have been
instantly recognisable by name alone.
This tracked mechanised infantry
vehicle (1) is the Polish BWP version
of the Soviet BMP and performs a
similar function to the British Warrior
03
05
07
72 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
Report & Images by
BOB MORRISON
01
(2). The 6x6 APC in photos (3) and
(4) is the Finnish-made Patria Pasi
used by Estonia and the 8x8 APC in
photos (5) and (6) is Poland’s home-
grown KTO Rosomak. The 8x8 with
the retracted radar dome (7) is the
Danish artillery locating Piranha III
and the tracked vehicle with 8-tube
air defence missile launcher (8) is 02
Britain’s Stormer HVM.
04
06
08
Images © Bob Morrison
 mar '17
next issue Issue
On Sale
09th Feb

COMBAT
+SURVIVAL
coming
up in c&s
N
ext month: Carl Schulze
reports from Austria
on Germany’s elite 23
Gebrirgsjäger Brigade
training for mountain
warfare on Exercise EDELWEISS ‘16
and, in a separate Firearms feature,
looks at the new Heckler & Koch
Gewehr G27P Sharpshooter Rie
for the German Army; while Bob
Morrison concludes our ANAKONDA
‘16 coverage from Poland with an
exclusive report on the Special
Forces dynamic demonstration,
which involved predominantly
American, Croatian, Hungarian and
Polish SF units plus he also focuses
on a Hungarian operator from 34th
Bercsényi László SF Battalion.

Plus: Product Reviews,

Rations, Kit & Camo etc.
Contents may change subject to operational developments!

Image © Carl Schulze

74 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL