May 2017

Vol 29 Issue 02

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ARMOUR
BRITISH FOCUS
THALES BUSHMASTER
FORCES
LIGHT FOOTWEAR
FOOTWEAR
MAGNUM’S NEW OPUS
DRAGOONS ASSAULT TACTICAL
A SQUADRON, ACMT,
WATHGILL RANGES FOREIGN
QUEEN’S FORCES
ROYAL UAE ‘17 IDEX DEMO
HUSSARS
HO
HONING THE EDGE ON
BER
BERGEN-HOHNE

ALLIANCE FORCES
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 P17
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Carl Schulze, Senior Correspondent
Gordon Arthur, Far East Correspondent
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PAGE 48: Kit & Camo - IMPORTANT:
IMPORT
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M ORT
ORTANT AN : A
ANT All
Al individual combat and
LIGHT DRAGOON personal
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sonalall survival
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Bob Morrison photographs an NCO we w
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ear
arin
ng of injury
in ury to ones
inj oneself
o
onnes and others and great
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IDEX 2017 described
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Bob Morrison photographs the branddn
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PAGE 68: Security

COMBAT
CO
COMB
MB & SURVIVAL | 03
comms
Comms
I
n this column last month I
stated that C&S would do its
level best to cover both the UK
contribution to the NATO eFP
(enhanced Forward Presence)
operation and the UK Forces units
leading NATO’s VJTF (Very High
Readiness Task Force) during 2017.
This is not easy for us to do, as we are
not one of the many UK Government-
funded military / defence magazines
and our budget is consequently very
small indeed, but as Senior Contributor
Carl Schulze and myself are not exactly
‘Monday-to-Friday / Nine-to-Five’
types and we do our job because, quite
simply, we love it and enjoy working
with troops and armies, we muddle
through.
Consequently, in this issue we have
features on: A Squadron of the Light
Dragoons, who have now deployed
to Orzysz in Poland close to the
Kaliningrad and Belarus border regions
to enhance the NATO Alliance’s
Forward Presence in the Baltic Region;
The Queen’s Royal Hussars who, in
addition to being on readiness with
the VJTF, have deployed a Troop of
tanks under French control as part
A British Challenger 2 MBT arriving in Estonia on
eFP deployment [© Estonian Defence Ministry]
of the British-led eFP deployment to
Estonia; and Soldiers from 1 PWRR,
also on VJTF standby, training
alongside Estonia’s Eesti Scouts in
combined urban operation drills on the
Sennelager training area in Germany.
We also have photographs, supplied
by the US DoD, of A Squadron of
the Light Dragoons on the recent
VALEX (validation exercise) with the
US Second Calvary in Bavaria, under
whose command they will operate in
Poland.
As we go to press with this issue, the
5 RIFLES battlegroup has just arrived
in Estonia on the Operation CABRIT
eFP deployment and A Squadron LD
has just set off on their 1,000km route
march from the 2CR base in Vilseck
in Germany to their new eFP forward
base near Orzysz. As older readers
may remember, from 1960 through to
2002, NATO’s vulnerable µanks were
protected by a similar multinational
quick reaction formation known as ACE
(as in Allied Command Europe) Mobile
Force [Land] or AMF[L].
The recently formed four battalion
eFP force in neighbouring Baltic
21st March: British soldiers from the Light
Dragoons in Bavaria prepare a Supacat COYOTE
HMT to be deployed to Poland [NATO image]
Light Dragoons in Bavaria mount their steeds
for the 1000km route march to Orzysz [US Army:
Spc. Emily Houdershieldt]
nations is intended to present a similar
multinational deterrent to any attempt
at further Russian expansionism. The
old AMF[L] unof´cial motto was:
Count The Flags, Not the Barrels. This
motto also rather succinctly sums up
the eFP message: Any attack on one
NATO nation would be considered an
attack on them ALL. Count the µags of
those nations now deployed to Estonia,
Latvia, Lithuania and Poland to see the
One For All And All For One principle in
action.
The C&S team will attempt to provide
readers with more eFP and VJTF
coverage in future issues. BM
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 05
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www.militarykit.com
 01: A Light
Dragoon Àring
from the kneeling
supported
british forces
position - as
reconnaissance
troops the
regiment often
operates forward
of the infantry

LIGHT
DRAGOONS
A SQUADRON, ACMT,
WATHGILL RANGES

Report & Images by

01 BOB MORRISON
Images © Bob Morrison

In late January, Headquarters 4th Infantry Brigade, the new Adaptable Force
formation based in Yorkshire, arranged for C&S to visit the Light Dragoons in
training. Unfortunately, the peak of A ‘The Empire’ Squadron’s training cycle
coincided with both IDEX in Abu Dhabi and VJTF training on Sennelager so
neither Carl nor myself were able to cover it, but I did manage a quick range visit
the week before.

T
he Light Dragoons,
nicknamed England’s
Northern Cavalry, undertake
the role of Light Cavalry
and are part of the
Adaptive Force under the ARMY 2020
restructuring. The Regiment originated
as light cavalrymen mounted on fast
horses, allowing them to move quickly
across the battle´eld, but today they
are mounted on agile 4x4 JACKAL
2 High Mobility Weapons Platforms,
logistically supported by the 6x6
COYOTE variant.
When we visited A Squadron in
February they, along with supporting
personnel such as medics and gunners,
were undertaking their Annual Combat
Marksmanship Test (ACMT) in North
Yorkshire and this trip to Wathgill
Ranges gave us our ´rst opportunity to

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 09

 British forces

“THE MAJORITY OF PERSONNEL WE SAW ON WATHGILL

RANGES WERE USING THE ELCAN SPECTEROS X4 SIGHT,
FITTED WITH A SHIELD CQB ATOP”

03 04

work with a unit live ´ring while wearing

the latest VIRTUS Load Carriage &
Integrated Personal Protection System
(see page 48). Delivered in late 2015
and issued from early 2016 to troops in
the Committed/Contingency Year of the
36-month A-FORM cycle, the VIRTUS
Images © Bob Morrison

system is intended to lighten the load

for the dismounted soldier without
reducing protection levels.
First, however, let’s take a brief look
at the history of The Light Dragoons
(LD) whose role and equipment are
geared to ensuring they are able to
deploy anywhere in the world at very
short notice to provide a highly mobile
light reconnaissance formation giving
battlegroup and brigade commanders
eyes and ears on the ground. Originally,
each British Cavalry Regiment had one
lightly equipped Troop mounted on very
fast horses, but around the middle of the
18th Century larger regiments consisting
only of light cavalry began to be formed
with 15th Light Dragoons being the ´rst;
throughout the remainder of the century
and the next one Light Dragoons were

10 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 02: Before commencing
the Practices each
cavalryman zeroed their
riÁe - note adjustment
tool on ground
03: The squatting
position is a useful
alternative to the
kneeling position and
can be adopted more
quickly
04: The prone, i.e. lying, 05
position both provides
the most stable platform
and reduces a soldier’s
silhouette
05: The standing
position, especially
when unsupported, is the
least stable and gives
maximum silhouette
06: The ACMT also
requires the soldier to
engage targets from a
Àxed depth prepared
trench position
07: Another Practice
requires the Àrers to
start from Àve metres
behind the Àring point
then advance
08: During the advance
the target is only
exposed for a few 06
seconds but rushing can
affect the aim
09: Like infantrymen,
cavalrymen usually
undertake ACMT wearing
Assault Order With Torso
Protection
10: Having advanced
to the Àring point the
soldier drops to kneeling
02 or squatting position to
engage target

08

07

09

10
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 11
 British forces
“SHOOTERS HAVE TO ENGAGE BOTH GALLERY AND
MOVING TARGETS AT SPECIFIED DISTANCES AS WELL AS
ENGAGING MOVING TARGETS AND SHOOTING IN PAIRS.”
at the forefront of every major British
military operation, but by late World
War One the tank was taking over from
the horse.
After every major war there is an
inevitable drawdown and WWI
was no different, with many cavalry
regiments of Dragoons and Hussars
being amalgamated in 1922 to reduce
personnel numbers and equipment.
Seventy years later, after the fall of the
Iron Curtain, in 1992 the amalgamated
13th/18th Royal Hussars (Queen Mary’s
Own) and the 15th/19th King’s Royal
Hussars were further amalgamated
and the new regiment was formed in
Germany as The Light Dragoons.
Images © Bob Morrison
Currently the Light Dragoons are in
their Committed/Contingency Year
of the 36-month training cycle and,
as those who keep a close eye on
combatandsurvival.com will know,
last November the Prime Minister
announced they would be committed
to NATO’s eFP (enhanced Forward
Presence) operations in Poland. British
12 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
Army soldiers, and Royal Marines
and RAF Regiment troopers too, 12
have to undertake an Annual Combat
Marksmanship Test (ACMT) to ensure
the skills they learned in basic training
have not gone rusty, so prior to
deploying, all A Squadron LD personnel
spent time on the ranges achieving their
annual quali´cation.
Technically, the requirements of the
ACMT are classi´ed so we cannot delve 13
into too much detail on these pages,
save to say that they involve a series of
Practices on different types of ranges
where the shooters have to engage
both gallery and moving targets at
speci´ed distances as well as engaging
moving targets and shooting in pairs.
Everything you see on these pages, with
the exception of zeroing of weapons,
formed part of the initial Practices 14
undertaken on 100, 200 and 300 metre
Firing Points on a standard British Army
600-metre Gallery Range.
The weapon used by all Light Dragoons,
plus RAMC and RA supporting
 15

11: ACMT is usually

carried out on a 600-
metre Gallery Range
with pop-up targets
which drop when hit
12: A timber post is
dropped into a socket
at the Àring point to
provide support when
standing or kneeling
13: Loading an EMAG
with 30 rounds -
soldier is wearing
a VIRTUS load
vest giving torso
protection
14: The standard
Assault Order load
is four 30-round
magazines but
experienced troops
often carry six 16
15: During zeroing
an NCO checks
fall of shot using a
SpecterOS - note
detail of soldier’s
VIRTUS vest
16: In the prone
position the VIRTUS
Revision COBRA+
helmet is said to
be better than its
predecessor
17: All troops used the
SA80A2 - cavalrymen
used SpecterOS
sights but medics
used SUSAT as here
18: A Squadron of
the Light Dragoons
is historically
nicknamed ‘The
Empire’ - this is the
11 squadron T-shirt

17

18
fore-end and a downgrip / bipod.

Towards the end of the last decade the

personnel, during the ACMT was the
standard issue L85A2 / SA80A2
5.56mm assault riµe ´tted with the 30-
round MAGPUL polymer EMAG (Export
MAGazine). The majority of personnel
we saw on Wathgill Ranges were using
the Elcan SpecterOS x4 sight, ´tted
with a Shield CQB (Close Quarters
Battlesight) atop, but the medics used
the older SUSAT optical sight, and all
weapons were ´tted with the modular
aluminium MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rail
ACMT (Annual Combat Marksmanship
Test) replaced the old APWT (Army
Personal Weapons Test) and today
Regular Army soldiers usually ´rst
undertake the test in Week 11 of their
14-week CMS (Common Military

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 13


British forces
Syllabus) basic training period then,
as the name suggests, most normally
retest every twelve months or so. Why a
marksmanship test for ordinary soldiers?
Despite what many armchair generals
say about Britain’s SA80A2 assault
riµe, the simple fact is that the version
of the weapon used since around the
start of this century is so accurate that
almost every trained soldier can achieve
marksman standard of accuracy with
21
Images © Bob Morrison
“BRITAIN’S SA80A2 ASSAULT RIFLE...IS SO
ACCURATE THAT ALMOST EVERY TRAINED
SOLDIER CAN ACHIEVE MARKSMAN STANDARD.”
14 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
19
the weapon which troops in some other
major armies can only dream about.
Without going into detail, the groups
of soldiers from A Squadron who we
followed through the ´rst few ACMT
Practices started off by zeroing their
weapons on the 100-metre ´ring points
of Six November Alpha or Six November
Bravo ranges. The troops, mostly in
serials of around eight, then undertook
20
19: RAMC medics undertook their ACMT without
Torso Protection - note the VIRTUS chassis belt yoke
20: Front view of VIRTUS torso protection vest and
chassis belt - see Kit & Camo on page 48 for more
21: Having successfully completed range Practices
Light Dragoons and attached troops head off for the
next challenge
a number of set Practices against
electronically controlled pop-up falling
targets programmed to expose for just
a few seconds (see video clip on the
combatandsurvival.com website) with
a predetermined number of rounds in
their magazine.
Shooting positions varied between
standing, kneeling, sitting and prone,
at times making use of prepared
trenches, and both supported and
unsupported stances were speci´ed.
In this opening stage of the ACMT, a
process which took place on different
ranges on different days, distance
from target increased from 100 to 300
metres. Results we witnessed were very
impressive.
 Report & Images by
CARL SCHULZE british forces

01: The cap badge

of the Queen’s Royal
Hussars combines
an Angel Harp
originating from the
8th Hussars and the
Queen’s Royal Irish
Hussars with the
regimental cypher
of the Queen’s Own
Hussars

HONING THE EDGE

QUEEN’S ROYAL HUSSARS ON BERGEN-HOHNE
The Queen’s Royal Hussars (The Queen’s Own and Royal Irish) are the armoured
regiment of the Germany-based 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade. This year (2017)
is the brigade’s Contingency / Committed Year under the Formation Operational
Readiness Mechanism (FORM) and as such the brigade took over the lead of the NATO
Images © Carl Schulze

Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (Land) or VJTF(L), on 1st of January 2017.

I
n addition to leading the land
component of the enhanced
NATO Response Force (eNRF),
from April 2017 onwards the
brigade will also provide the
bulk of NATO’s enhanced Forward
Presence (eFP) Multinational Battalion
in Estonia. For both formations, the QRH
are providing an armoured component
equipped with Challenger 2 main battle
tanks. In late February/early March C&S
visited the armoured regiment on the
Bergen-Hohne Training Area, where its
squadrons conducted live ´re training.
28th February 2017, Range 7B, Bergen
Hohne Training Area: With their
engines idling the four Challenger 2
main battle tanks of C ‘The Duke of
Edinburgh’s’ Squadron, The Queen’s
Royal Hussars (The Queen’s Own and
Royal Irish) stand at the base end of

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 17

 British forces
02
03
the lanes leading down the range. The
Images © Carl Schulze
turrets of the tanks are turning slightly
left and right, as are the commander’s
panoramic sights on top, indicating that
the gunners and vehicle commanders
are carefully monitoring the arc of the
range their MBT was assigned, by their
Troop Leader, for any sign of enemy
activity.
Suddenly, a couple of black objects
pop up some 1,000 metres away,
portraying enemy armoured infantry
´ghting vehicles. It takes the crews in
18 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
04
the tanks only seconds, then the 120mm
L30A1 riµed tank guns of the vehicles
are loaded with 120mm Tank L32A6
Practice Squash Head ammunition
and are laid onto the targets. In the
meantime the Troop Leader has given
the order to engage the enemy.
Almost immediately bright µashes light
up the grey winter’s day, followed by
a succession of amazingly loud bangs.
The ´rst series of µashes and bangs is
followed by a second and third. One by
one the targets disappear, hit one after
05
the other by the 120mm Tk L32A6 SH
PRAC projectiles. But the engagement is
not yet over and now groups of infantry
targets show up about 300 metres
distant. Coordinated again by the Troop
Leader, via radio, the tank crews react
right away, engaging targets with the
coaxial 7.62mm L94A1 Chain Guns of
their MBTs. Streams of red tracers can
be seen going down range.
The Challenger 2 tanks now begin
to advance down the range at high
speed. They have just moved out of

“WITH THE TANKS
STILL ON THE MOVE,
THE TARGETS ARE
ENGAGED WITH
HIGH PRECISION
BY THE GUNNERS,
UTILISING THE
FULL CAPABILITIES
OF THE MBT’S
STABILISATION
AND FIRE CONTROL
SYSTEMS.”
their original positions when another
group of targets appear; this time they
portray enemy tanks. Again the MBT
crews react quickly. With the tanks still
on the move, the targets are engaged
with high precision by the gunners,
utilising the full capabilities of the MBT’s
stabilisation and ´re control systems.
This time 120mm L29A1 Discarding
Sabot Practice projectiles are ´red
from the 120mm L30A1 riµed tank guns,
the ammunition of choice for this type
of target.
These three engagements are just the
beginning of a longer live ´re battle run
that serves to test and demonstrate the
tank troops’ ´re and control capabilities.
REFINING SKILLS
February and March 2017 saw The
Queen’s Royal Hussars deploying for a
three week period to the ranges of the
Bergen Hohne Training Area. The main
02: A tank troop of C ‘The
Duke of Edinburgh’s’
Squadron, The Queen’s
06
Royal Hussars (The Queen’s
Own and Royal Irish) moves
out of its staging area for a
live Àre battle run
03: The trade mark of D
Squadron is the Black
Pig’ which, as a logo, is
proudly displayed on the
Challenger 2 MBTs of the
squadron
04: In 2016 C Squadron
won most of the internal
regimental competitions
which entitles it to bear
the name The Duke of
Edinburgh’s’ Squadron in
2017 after their Colonel
in Chief and to wear this
special version of the
Regimental Tactical
Recognition Flash
05: An L18A1 Discarding
Sabot Practice charge is
handed down into the turret
of a Challenger 2 - up to 49
projectiles and charges
for the 120mm gun can be
stored in the MBT
06: Boresighting – a tank
crew member checks the
alignment of the Gunner
Auxiliary Sight with the
120mm L30A1 riÁed tank
gun
07: The armament of the
Challenger 2 MBT includes
a 55-calibre 120mm L30A1
riÁed tank gun, a coaxial
7.62mm L94A1 Chain Gun 07
and a loader’s hatch
7.62mm L7A2 GPMG
08: Tankers routine - After
a live Àre exercise crew
members of a Challenger
2 of C Squadron clean the
barrel of the 120mm L30A1
riÁed tank gun of their MBT
09: The Challenger 2 MBT
is the main weapon system
of the armoured regiments
of the British Army. It has a
combat weight of 63,000kg,
including ammunition, fuel
and crew personal kit
09
aim of the deployment was to put the
tank crews of the regiments through
their Annual Crew Test, as well as to
conduct live ´re training up to Troop
level in order to allow the tankers to
keep their edge. During the live ´re
period the crews of C ‘The Duke of
Edinburgh’s’ Squadron, The Queen’s
Royal Hussars alone ´red about 1,650
120mm Tank L32A6 Practice Squash
Head and 120mm L29A1 Discarding
Sabot Practice projectiles as well as
08 42,000 cartridges of 7.62mm machine
gun ammunition. Similar amounts of
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 19
 10: A Challenger 2 of C
Squadron is bombed
British forces up by its crew - 120mm
L29A1 Discarding Sabot
“THE LIVE
Practice projectiles are
being handed down to
the loader in the turret
FIRING WAS
11: 120mm Tank HESH ALREADY THE
SECOND MAJOR
Practice L3A2 Charges
are handed down
into the turret while a
Challenger 2 is bombed
up with ammunition
for the next live Àre
TRAINING
session
EVENT FOR THE
12: Range routine - prior
to a live Àre session
projectiles and charges
TANKERS OF
are unpacked at the
ammunition point - here
a tanker unpacks a
THE QRH IN
120mm Tank L32A6
Practice Squash Head
2017.”
projectile
13: During the three
weeks of live Àring
at the Bergen Hohne
Training Area C
Squadron alone Àred
about 1,650 120mm
Tank L32A6 Practice
Squash Head and
L29A1 Discarding Sabot
Practice projectiles
14: All NCO Challenger
2 commanders of the
QRH wear a New Zealand
Fern Leaf cloth badge
beneath the Regimental
TRF in commemoration
10 of the association of
The 3rd Hussars with
the 2nd New Zealand
12 Division at the Battle of
El Alamein
15: A Challenger 2
MBT of D ‘Black Pig’
Squadron, The Queen’s
Royal Hussars engages
a target during the Live
Fire Exercise 8 Annual
Crew Test (LFX8 – ACT)
16: Prior to taking
over their VJTF (L) role
the tankers of the 16
Queen’s Royal Hussars
were issued the new
VIRTUS Soldier System
personal equipment
including the Scalable
Tactical Vest (STV)
14
17: A Challenger 2 MBT of
C Squadron engages a
11 target with 120mm Tank
L32A6 Practice Squash
Head ammunition
18: Prior to a live Àre
session projectiles and
charges are unpacked
at the ammunition
point - here a tanker
unpacks an L18A1
charge for a 120mm
L29A1 Discarding Sabot
Practice projectile
13
Images © Carl Schulze

ammunition were also spent by the
other tank squadrons of the regiment.
The live ´ring was already the second
major training event for the tankers of
the QRH in 2017. Earlier in the year they
spent two weeks at the Command And
Staff Trainer (CAST) and the Combined
Arms Tactical Trainer (CATT) situated
at Normandy Barracks in Sennelager,
being put through 24 hour battle
simulations.
With the quick succession of training
events, 2017 started as 2016 ended for
the QRH. Last year was the Training
year of the regiment under the
Formation Operational Readiness
Mechanism (FORM) of the new
ARMY 2020 structure and it saw the
regiment, among other training events,
deploying to the British Army Training
Unit Suf´eld (BATUS) in Canada,
taking part in the PRAIRIE STORM

20 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL


exercises. The regiment also played
a major role in Exercise VENERABLE
GAUNTLET, held at the Sennelager
Training Area in Germany and aimed at
testing the readiness of the Very High
Readiness Joint Task Force (Land) of
the enhanced NATO Response Force
(eNRF).
17
2017 COMMITMENTS
With C Squadron, the QRH have
provided the armoured element for the
1st Battalion, The Princess of Wales’s
Royal Regiment Battle Group of the
VJTF(L) since the 1st January 2017. The
squadron is basically structured into
15
18
the Squadron Headquarters, four Tank
Troops and a Fitter Section, in total
about 120 troops.
Each Tank Troop can ´eld four
Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks, while
the Squadron Headquarters can ´eld
another two, giving the squadron a
combat strength of 18 MBTs. Among
other vehicles, the Fitter Section can
´eld two Challenger Armoured Repair
and Recovery Vehicles (CRARRV) and
two Warrior-based FV512 Mechanised
Combat Repair Vehicles (MCRV).
While assigned to the VJTF(L) the
Squadron keeps a high state of
readiness, being able to deploy within
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 21

British forces
two to ´ve days after noti´cation.
Missions of the VJTF(L), and therefore
of C Squadron of the QRH, after
being activated and deployed can be
to provide an immediate collective
defence response capability prior to
the arrival of other forces or to conduct
crisis management and peace support
operations. The VJTF(L) is also capable
of conducting disaster relief operations
or can be deployed for the protection of
critical infrastructure.
20: Maintenance – Members of
the REME Light Aid Detachment
supporting C Squadron have
removed the Auxiliary Power
Unit from a Challenger 2 using
the crane of their FV512 MCRV
Images © Carl Schulze
22 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
From April onwards D ‘Black Pig’
Squadron, The Queen’s Royal Hussars
(The Queen’s Own and Royal Irish) will
provide the armoured element for the
NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence
(eFP) Multinational Battalion in Estonia,
of which the lead nation is the United
Kingdom. The armoured element will
be a Tank Troop consisting of four
Challenger 2 MBTs and it will also have a
small support element including,
among other vehicles, a CRARRV.
19: Daily routine
- prior to Àring
up the engine of
their Challenger 2
members of a tank
crew of C Squadron
QRH conduct
checks to ensure
all systems are in
working order
Falling under command of the 5th
Battalion, The Riµes Battle Group
the QRH Tank Troop will be based in
Tapa in Estonia. The NATO enhanced
Forward Presence Multinational
Battalion in Estonia will also include
French and Danish troops. Up to the
end of 2017, the Tank Troops of D
Squadron will take turns in deploying to
Estonia, with the troops staying in the
Baltic nation for about four months at a
time.
 alliance forces
Images © Carl Schulze
COMBINED URBA
I
n mid-February 2017, soldiers
from A Company of 1st Battalion,
The Princess of Wales’s Royal
Regiment (1 PWRR) of the
British Army and from the
Scoutspataljon of the Estonian Land
Forces, both allocated to NATO’s
Very High Readiness Joint Task Force
(Land) or VJTF(L), took part in a
Combined Urban Operations Week
in order to practice Urban Operations.
C&S followed them training on the
Sennelager Training Area.
UDTA (Urban Dry Training Area),
STA (Sennelager Training Area),
Germany, 16th February, 2017: The
strike operation has gone as planned.
Covering each others’ approach, the
British and Estonian infantry sections
reached their objective without
dif´culties. Arresting the shopkeeper,
who was suspected of selling weapons
in addition to fruit and candy, was
24 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
According to a NATO doctrine document, Urban
Operations are military activities in areas that are
characterised by the presence of man-made physical
structures, associated urban infrastructures and a
non-combatant population. The urban environment
is complex and diverse. In order to ɯght, survive and
accomplish their mission troops employed in an urban
environment require special skills and tactics.
also no big deal, despite the fact that beginning of the attack the British
it involved a little bit of wrestling. It is troops return ´re with their 5.56mm L85
only when the infantrymen of the two A2 (SA80 A2) assault riµes. Then smoke
nations start to extract from the scene grenades are thrown to obstruct the
of the arrest that all hell breaks loose. enemy’s view.
From a building close by and a second With a thick smokescreen in
one further down the road, they are place, several things now happen
suddenly engaged with small arms and simultaneously. Together with their
machine gun ´re. As the Brits provided captive the Estonians begin to extract
outer security while the Estonians from the scene, heading towards a
performed the arrest, they are now helicopter landing site for the extraction
also the ´rst to respond to the sudden of the captive. At the same time some
attack. Within a split second from the of the British troops assault the nearest
 “BRITISH
TROOPS ASSAULT
THE NEAREST 01: During the Ànal
BUILDING HELD strike mission of
the Combined Urban
BY THE ENEMY Operations Week
soldiers of 1 PWRR
IN ORDER TO provided security
while Estonian

NEUTRALISE THE
troops arrested a
suspected arms
dealing shopkeeper 03
MOST IMMINENT 02: Estonian troops
THREAT.” Àght their way
through the Urban
Dry Training Area
(UDTA) on the
Sennelager Training
Area (STA) in
Germany
03: While an Estonian
soldier provides
cover a British NCO
gives orders to his
soldiers - during the
Combined Urban
Operations Week
the Estonians used
British assault riÁes.
04: Estonian
soldiers of the
Scoutspataljon rush
forward to storm a
building – Estonia’s
Scout Battalion is
an all-volunteer
professional
formation
05: A British and
an Estonian NCO
discuss the Ànals for
their move through
the Urban Dry
Training Area (UDTA)
01 on Sennelager 04

AN OPERATIONS
Training Area (STA)

BRITISH & ESTONIAN TROOPS IN TRAINING

Report & Images by
02 CARL SCHULZE

05
building held by the enemy in order to
neutralise the most imminent threat.
On reaching the entrance door of the
building they quickly take up their
positions. Then the door is kicked open
and the troops rush inside, weapons
at the ready. Using room clearance
techniques, the troops now make their
way through the building.

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 25

 alliance forces “THE COMBINED URBAN
OPERATIONS WEEK
WAS HELD TO ALLOW
SELECTED BRITISH
AND ESTONIAN TROOPS
TO PRACTISE URBAN
OPERATIONS TACTICS...”

06
06: British
07 troops of 1
PWRR taking
part in the
Combined Urban
Operations
Week were
equipped with
the new VIRTUS
Soldier System
personal
equipment
07: Estonian
soldiers provide
overwatch while
British troops
attack the next
08 building - 1
PWRR and the
Eesti Scouts
have been
training
together for
some time
08: Mission
planning -
British and
Estonian NCOs
plan the strike
operation
that formed
Images © Carl Schulze

The strike operation exercise served as the grand

the grand ´nale of the Combined Urban Ànale of the
Operations Week involving soldiers of Combined Urban
Scoutspataljon of the Estonian Land Operations
Week
Forces who were hosted by the 1st
Battalion, The Princess of Wales’s Royal 09: During Urban
Regiment (1 PWRR) of the British Army Operations
training on STA
based in Sennelager in Germany. the Estonian
troops were

LEARNING FROM
issued with
British 5.56mm
L85 A2 (SA80 A2)

EACH OTHER
Run between the 13th and 17th February
assault riÁes

2017, by 1 PWRR, the Combined Urban

Operations Week was held to allow
selected British and Estonian troops to
practise Urban Operations Tactics and
09
26 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
 11
10: Badge of the
Scoutspataljon of 12 14
the Estonian Land
Forces - based
in Paldiski the
battalion belongs to
the 1. Jalaväebrigaad
and is Estonia’s
rapid reaction unit
11: Under cover of
their comrades
infantrymen of the
1st Battalion, The
Princess of Wales’s
Royal Regiment 13
cross a street while
advancing through
urban terrain.
12: British and
Estonian troops
Àght back after
they come under
attack in an urban
environment - the
STA urban facility is
a disused military
housing estate
13: The urban
environment is
complex and diverse
- an enemy can hide
everywhere and
Àghting can take
place on several Armoured Infantry Battle Groups of
levels - note that the VJTF(L), which is led by the British
these soldiers 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade. A
observe all arcs
10 Mechanised Infantry Company of the
14: Utilising as much compare their own with the ones used Scoutspataljon of the Estonian Land
cover as possible, by the other nation. In fact the mission Forces, the Eesti Scouts, is assigned to
British troops
provide cover while statement of the week was “To learn the 1 PWRR VJTF(L) armoured infantry
Estonian soldiers from each other.” battalion.
rush forward to
storm a building
The training event was conducted In 2016, during the preparation for
under the umbrella of 1 PWRR’s VJTF(L) the VJTF(L) assignment, the British
assignment; the battalion took over and Estonian troops had already
its VJTF(L) role on the 1st of January, trained together a couple of times, for
2017. Also known as the Armoured example during Exercise VENERABLE
Tigers, the unit provides one of the GAUNTLET, also held at the Sennelager

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 27

 alliance forces

15
Training Area in September 2016, 15: During the
reaching quite a high level of strike mission
interoperability. In 2017 events such Estonian
as the Combined Urban Operations troops of the
Scoutspataljon
Week are now conducted in order to close in on the
maintain the previously achieved level shop to arrest the
of cooperation as well as to further arms dealer - note
the soldier in
improve it. the background
covering windows

FROM ROOM CLEARING

in the Àrst Áoor
16: There are

TO BUILDING ENTRY different types of

tactics that can be
used to advance
TACTICS
Aimed at an audience consisting
to the next
building - here
Estonian troops
can be seen
of non-commissioned of´cers and using the ‘train’
private soldiers, the Combined Urban formation
Operations Week was mainly focused
on basic tactics, ranging from room 17: With the
clearing to how to move along streets
Estonian troops
having deployed
16 18
and alleyways under different types as cover force
of threat levels. Also trained for were British troops
are readying
the clearing of occupied and derelict themselves to
buildings, the clearance of compounds attack the Àrst
and different types of building entry building
tactics, including the use of different 18: After the
methods and types of breaching combined force
equipment. of Brits and
Estonians has
been attacked
The NCOs also had to conduct while conducting
the strike
Images © Carl Schulze

operation planning tasks for operations

mission one of
conducted in an urban environment, the attackers has
including a strike operation aimed at been neutralised
arresting an arms dealer. All in all, the
Combined Urban Operations Week
was a good learning experience for all
participants and certainly will bene´t
any operation of integrated nature if or 17
when it might arrive.

28 | 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
 Report & Images by
GORDON ARTHUR armour focus
Images © Gordon Arthur [unless otherwise noted]

01

AUSTRALIA’S 4X4 PROTECTED MOBILITY VEHICLE

Australia currently has a single domestically developed and manufactured
armoured vehicle in military service, the Bushmaster, although it will soon be joined
by another, the Hawkei. Both are 4x4 protected vehicles from Thales Australia. The
Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle (PMV) is widely employed by the Australian
Defence Force (ADF), with 1,052 units ordered. In addition, it is used by six other
nations: Fiji, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, the Netherlands and UK.

T
hales is known to
have produced eight
Bushmaster PMV
variants at its facility
in Bendigo, Victoria.
These are as follows:-
„ Protected Mobility
Troop Vehicle
„ Protected Mobility
Command Vehicle
„ Protected Mobility Mortar
Vehicle
„ Protected Mobility Assault
Pioneer Vehicle
„ Protected Mobility Direct
Fire Support Weapon
Vehicle
„ Protected Mobility Direct Air
Defence Vehicle
01: In Australian
Army service, the
Bushmaster PMV is a
chunky vehicle coated
in an AusCam paint
scheme of black, tan
and olive drab colours
02: This Troop Vehicle
of the 7th Brigade
was photographed 02
at the Shoalwater
Bay Training Area in
central Queensland
during Exercise
TALISMAN SABRE 2015
03: The Bushmaster
can tackle 457mm-
high vertical obstacles
- the 200kg spare-
wheel assembly
on the right side of
the hull at the rear 03
considerably extends
the Bushmaster’s
overall length
„ Protected Mobility
Ambulance Vehicle
„ Protected Mobility
Electronic Warfare Vehicle.
The breakdown of each version
acquired by the ADF is as
follows: Troop x601; Command
x197; Assault Pioneer x37;
Mortar x40; Direct Fire Support
Weapon x94; Ambulance
x63; and Air Defence x20.
In addition to usage by the
Australian Army, three air´eld
defence squadrons of the
Royal Australian Air Force’s
(RAAF) Security Force use
Troop Vehicles to defend
airbases.
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 31
 armour focus
“THE BUSHMASTER FORGED AN ENVIABLE REPUTATION
FOR RUGGEDNESS AND SURVIVABILITY.”
Images © Gordon Arthur [unless otherwise noted]
05
The newest Bushmaster variant in
ADF service is an Electronic Warfare
(EW) Vehicle, with one exhibited at the
Land Forces exhibition in Adelaide in
September 2016. This variant enables
the Australian Army “to perform
a number of different operations
in a modern complex operating
environment,” according to a defence
spokesperson. It has an upgraded
auxiliary power unit and additional
environmental control unit. It also has
a telescopic mast mounted at the rear
and enhanced workstations and racks. It
is not known how many of these will be
obtained, but the number will be low.
32 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
06
ORIGINS
The Bushmaster was the brainchild of
Perry Engineering in the mid-1990s.
In 1997, ADI Limited (now Thales
Australia) acquired the design. The
Bushmaster entered the Project
Bushranger trials in February 1998 as
the ADF sought a protected vehicle. It
was duly named as preferred tenderer
on 10th March 1999 and a contract with
ADI was signed on 1st June 1999 for 370
vehicles, though this was renegotiated
down to 299 in 2002. Series production
kicked off in 2004 with ´rst delivery in
August.
07
Further ADF contracts ensued. In
December 2006, 143 Bushmasters
were ordered, followed by 253 more
in August 2007. A further order for 41
vehicles was lodged in October 2008,
and another 101 vehicles was approved
in May 2011. The most recent contract
for 214 vehicles was announced in June
2012.
The Bushmaster, commonly referred
to as the ‘Bushie’ by Australian troops,
was principally deployed in motorised
infantry units. However, because of
restructuring under Plan Beersheba,
Bushmasters were handed in by infantry
 04: A column of Bushmasters
belonging to the 2nd Combat
Engineer Regiment of the 7th
Brigade - the lead vehicle is
Àtted with dummy Duke RCIED
antennas, which soldiers call
‘goalposts’
05: A regular troop-carrying
‘Bushie’ from Charlie Company
of 8/9 RAR during Exercise
TALISMAN SABRE is being
refuelled in the early morning
from a Mack R-Series tanker
06: The array of rooftop
antennas gives away the fact
that this is a Bushmaster
Command Vehicle - it belongs
to the 8th/12th Regiment,
Royal Australian Regiment 09
07: Another Command Vehicle,
this time from the 7th Brigade
- in July 2011 the brigade began
receiving refurbished CVs with
terminals for the Elbit Systems
TORC2H digital battleÀeld
management system
08: Note the AN/ULQ-35
Counter Remote-controlled
IED (RCIED) Electronic Warfare
or CREW system Àtted to this
Bushmaster - vehicle ground
clearance is 430mm
09: This Command Vehicle
belongs to the Townsville-
based 3rd Brigade - a circled
‘15’ on the nose represents the
Bushmaster’s military load
classiÀcation of 15 tonnes
10: A Bushmaster of the 3rd
Brigade comes ashore from
an Army LCM-8 landing craft at
Freshwater Beach in central
Queensland - the Bushmaster 10
can ford water up to 1.2m deep
11: A series of storage boxes
with a usable volume of 2.5
cubic metres lines both sides 11 12
outside the blast-protected
hull but packs are still stowed
on the sides of the hull
12: The ambulance variant
is easily identiÀed by Red
Cross markings and a larger
rear door - it can carry two
stretcher cases, or one
05 stretcher plus four seated
patients

08 DESCRIPTION
The standard Bushmaster was designed
to carry a complement of ten soldiers,
plus provisions, for three days. Its
raison d’être is to provide high mine-
blast resistance thanks to a V-shaped
monocoque hull. The driver and vehicle
commander sit in the front two seats,
while the rear compartment has eight
seats along the two sidewalls. The ADF
speci´ed that the Bushmaster should
have no doors in the front cab area,
so egress is via the rear door or three
roof hatches. Fuel and hydraulic µuid
tanks are positioned outside the crew
compartment for safety reasons.

A novel 270-litre water tank is installed

units and redistributed to combat
service support units. They are also
widely used by other specialist units
such as artillery.
Australian Bushmasters were heavily
used overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan
by infantry and special forces. Indeed,
it was in these theatres that the Bush-
master forged an enviable reputation for
ruggedness and survivability. The plat-
form performed well in these dangerous
environments, achieving a formidable
record of not one soldier killed despite
numerous improvised explosive device
(IED) strikes.
under the crew compartment µoor,
giving the crew a supply of drinking
water. Most Bushmaster variants differ
only in terms of internal storage and
seating con´guration.
A W&E Platt MR555 ring mount is ´tted
by the circular roof hatch. Typically this

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 33

 armour focus 13: The Ambulance
has a wider rear door
than other variants,
plus there is a
stretcher hoist to the
right of the door and
a long storage box on
the roof
14: Typically one RWS
is Àtted per platoon
of Bushmasters - the
R-400 RWS weighs
186kg without
any weapon or
ammunition Àtted
and its elevation
range is from -20º to
+60º
15: The EOS R-400
RWS, here Àtted with
a 7.62mm MAG 58,
features a colour
CCD daylight camera,
cooled thermal
13 imager and laser
rangeÀnder
16: Note the
roof-mounted and
14 15 stabilised R-400
RWS from EOS that
allows the operator
to remain under
armoured protection
inside the vehicle
17: Note the SPARK
mine-roller mounted
on the front of this
Assault Pioneer
Vehicle - this route
clearance system
was a vital capability
for deployments in
accommodates a 5.56mm or 7.62mm ATAAC turbo-diesel engine that Afghanistan where
machine gun, although service in produces 300hp at 2,200rpm. Its speed IEDs were rife
Afghanistan saw a 12.7mm M2HB-QCB is electronically governed to 100km/h, 18: Here is another
and 40mm Mk19 Mod 3 automatic and this engine gives a power-to-weight view of a Bushmaster
grenade launcher used too. A later ratio of 20hp/tonne. The automatic employing the SPARK
mine-roller made by
development beginning in 2007 was ZF 7HP502 transmission (six forward Pearson Engineering
the installation of a remote-controlled gears and one reverse) is connected to – it is being used to
weapon station (RWS) in the shape of a TC170 single-speed transfer box. Full prove a main supply
route during a large
an Electro Optic Systems (EOS) R-400 time four-wheel drive with selectable exercise in Australia 17
mounting either an M2HB-QCB or front, centre and rear differential
7.62mm MAG 58. locks ensures excellent cross-country III transport aircraft
i f off the
h RRAAF.
A A
mobility. A central tyre inµation system Sepson self-recovery winch, offering a

PERFORMANCE
The Bushmaster is powered by a
6-cylinder, 7.2-litre Caterpillar 3126E
Images © Gordon Arthur [unless otherwise noted]
(CTIS) has four settings (road, sand,
mud/snow and emergency) available.
The Bushmaster can be carried inside
C-130J Hercules and C-17 Globemaster
16
maximum pull of 105kN, is mounted on
the left side of the hull on approximately
50% of vehicles procured. Under Project
NINGAUI, approved in December
2011, two Bushmasters ´tted with
Self-Protection Adaptive Roller Kit

(SPARK) mine-clearing rollers and

electronic counter-IED devices were
acquired for use overseas.

EXPORTS
The Bushmaster’s ´rst export success
was to the Netherlands. In July 2006 the
country decided to urgently purchase
25 vehicles for troops ´ghting in
Afghanistan. This batch was delivered
direct from Australian Army stocks by
September that year. The Dutch later
ordered a further ten Bushmasters in
November 2007, 13 in June 2008, nine
in January 2009 (´tted with a grappler
arm), 14 in June 2009 and 14 in August
2009. An additional twelve were
ordered in June 2015 for use by the

34 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 Royal Dutch Marines, bringing the Dutch
18 µeet to 98 Bushmasters.

The second export customer was the

UK, which purchased 24 Bushmasters
in May 2008. These were used by the
British Army, according to published
sources, speci´cally by Special Forces,
in Iraq and Afghanistan. These vehicles
are rarely photographed, although it
is believed they were ´nished in sand
camouµage paint and ´tted with
additional armour, electronic counter-
IED devices, and a Kongsberg Protector
RWS.

Thales displayed a Bushmaster

demonstrator at the Avalon Air Show
near Melbourne in March 2017; this
particular example is aimed at the
British Army’s Multi-Role Vehicle -
Protected (MRV-P) programme. The
demonstrator will be despatched to the
UK to take part in upcoming evaluations.
Painted in a green scheme and featuring
Dutch-style appliqué armour, it is the
´rst Bushmaster ever to feature front

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 35


armour focus
cab doors. The MRV-P unit has six
seats in the troop compartment,
plus the rear door is wider.
Next to join the Bushmaster club
was Indonesia, which received
just three vehicles in February
2014 as part of a government-to-
government sale. They are used by
Images © Gordon Arthur [unless otherwise noted]
36 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
19
Indonesian Kopassus Special Forces.
Jamaica followed when it ordered
twelve vehicles for the Jamaican
Defence Force in December 2013.
The Japan Ground Self-Defence
Force (JGSDF) ordered four
Bushmasters in April 2014,
speci´cally for overseas
19: A Dutch Bushmaster
20 operating in Afghanistan 21
at the height of combat
operations there. Note
the different appliqué contingencies where
armour, windows, 22 Japanese evacuees
antenna mounts and might need to be
Thales SWARM RWS transported in high-
[© Richard Frigge: NL
MinDef] threat situations.
Deliveries concluded
20: The newest Australian
Army variant is designed by late 2014, and they
for electronic warfare are deployed in the JGSDF’s Central Readiness
- note the array of Regiment.
antennas plus the
extended telescopic
mast mounted on the rear It was announced in February 2017 that Aus-
of the hull tralia was conducting a government sale of ten
21: Displayed at the 2017 second-hand Bushmasters to Fiji. The Republic
Avalon Air Show, this of Fiji Military Forces are using seven white-
demonstrator is aimed at
the British Army’s MRV-P painted vehicles for a United Nations peace-
(Multi-Role Vehicle keeping mission on the Golan Heights, while
- Protected) Group 2 three stay in Fiji for pre-deployment training.
programme - note the
front cab doors
The ADF will continue using the Bushmaster
22: Japan repainted until 2030, so future modi´cations are to
its four Bushmasters
in the JGSDF olive drab be expected on this rugged vehicle. As
colour scheme - they are well as conversion to an EW variant, the
deployed in the JGSDF’s Australian Army is also creating a new General
Central Readiness
Regiment [© Masayuki Maintenance variant based on the Assault
Kikuchi 2015] Pioneer variant.
 COMBAT
+SURVIVAL
Images © Carl Schulze

38 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

L85A2 /
S A 8 0 A 2
ESTONIAN SCOUT
SENNELAGER, FEBRUARY 2017

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 39

 01: The Raccoon
Mk.2 is a
20-litre two-
compartment
kit review
daysack made
from Cordura
500D - hydration
tube is not
included

01

2
FROM HELIKON-TEX OF POLAND
Images © Bob Morrison

The C&S editorial team, by the very nature of our work, have to do a fair bit of
travelling and as ours is not a Government funded publication we have to run on
quite a restricted budget. As transportation costs mostly come out of our own
pockets, we consequently travel light and our airline carryŭon luggage usually has
to double as our laptop and camera daysack once in the ɯeld.
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 41
 05
kit review
02

03

04

F
or more than ´ve years
I have used a SOURCE
ASSAULT 10 daysack,
slightly modi´ed, for the
majority of my military
photo assignments but, unfortunately,
it is now beginning to reµect both its
age and the rigours I have subjected it
to. As a result, I have been keeping an
eye out for a replacement which will not
only give the same versatility but also
possibly offer even more. Each trip I go
on is slightly different, both as far as
carry-on luggage weights & dimensions
go and the amount of gear I have to ´t
in when µying, as the last thing I need is
to go into action at the other end with
my hold luggage still at a UK airport
with some crucial piece of kit inside.

Last month I had to cram everything
I needed for a two-day trip up to
Yorkshire - including netbook, cameras,
clean shirt & smalls, and toiletries –
into one 10kg gross weight daysack.
The Särmä Assault Pack Mk.III from
Varusteleka (reviewed in the April issue)
was just right for that particular trip,
Images © Bob Morrison
ancillaries and a couple of backup lenses
being consigned to hold luggage. 06
The RACCOON Mk.2 is a relatively
conventional 20-litre capacity two
compartment daysack with contoured
padded shoulder straps and vented
padded back panel plus a detachable

but when a couple of days after my
return I departed for a ´ve-day round
trip to the UAE, airline regulations
stipulated I could only take 7kg aboard
with me as hand baggage. To reduce
weight I opted to take the Helikon-Tex
RACCOON Mk. 2 Daysack this time
and pared my carry-on kit down to the
bare essentials, with all non-essential
waist strap. About 20% lighter than the
Mk.1 version, the new model has been
carefully redesigned to bring empty
weight down and upper PALS tapes,
which most serious users probably
consider spurious, have been removed.
Inside the main compartment there is
a hydration bladder / laptop pocket
with drawcord adjuster at the top and

42 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL


02: Front compartment
has an organiser panel
with two nylon pockets, a
mesh pocket, pen sleeves
and a keyring hook
03: There is a hydration
bladder / laptop
pocket with drawcord
adjuster inside the main
compartment - bladder
not included
04: On the outer face there
are six rows of PALS tapes
with velcro-type patch
above - shock cord is for
external stowage
05: The Raccoon Mk.2 is
currently available from
Military1st in (as here)
Coyote, Olive Green or
A-TACS AU camo
06: Both the back panel
and the shoulder straps
are well padded - upper
compression straps have
quick release buckles
07: There is an elasticated
sternum strap linking
the shoulder straps
which have quick release
buckles for ease of dofÀng
08: A rudimentary waist
strap is included - this
easily is removable for
those wearing belt order
09: Top grab handle is
sturdy - note also the
concealed port for a
hydration tube between
handle and back
10: In use as my camera &
laptop bag at IDEX in Abu
Dhabi - external MultiCam
pouches carry ancillaries
and a 75-200 lens
11: There are three rows
of PALS tapes at the
bottom of each side and a
compression strap gives
added stability
12: Both compartments
have drainage eyelets
in the base - bottom
straps can be used for
compression or to carry a
kip mat
RACOON MK.2 DAYSACK
concealed drinking tube
port above. On the µap side
of this main compartment
there is a roughly half-depth
and full-width zipped mesh
pocket for small items. The
smaller, front, compartment
has an organiser panel
giving two nylon pockets,
one mesh pocket, two pen
sleeves and a keyring hook
on a tape.
Externally, there are six
07
rows of PALS (MOLLE)
tape on the the face of the
pack and three rows at
the bottom of each side.
There are upper and lower
compression straps each
side, with the former having
quick release buckles, and
there are two compression
straps on the base which
are long enough to be
used for carrying a kip mat
etc. There is also an shock
cord for attachment of
waterproofs etc. and above
the main PALS tapes there
is a large panel for attaching
name and unit patches etc.
However, the feature I really
value is the quick release 08
buckle at the end of each
shoulder strap, which makes
dof´ng in a hurry much
easier.
Since returning from Abu
Dhabi I have used this
daysack as my camera bag
more than once, which is
a good indication of its
functionality. Our review
sample was supplied by
military1st.com
10
09
11 12
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 43
 Report by
BOB MORRISON
Images © Sgt Devon Bistarkey
UK & US VALEX
LIGHT DRAGOONS
eFP PREPARATIONS
I
n mid-March British Army
personnel from A Squadron of
the Light Dragoons, attached to
4th Squadron of the 2nd Cavalry
Regiment of the US Army,
participated in a Validation Exercise
(VALEX) to test leader pro´ciency,
communication interoperability and
coordination with adjacent units.
These manoeuvres were held at the
Joint Multinational Readiness Center
(JMRC) Hohenfels in Germany as part
of the validation process for the British
contingent deploying to North-East
Poland as part of the US-led battalion
battlegroup which forms part of NATO’s
enhanced Forward Presence (eFP).
The Vilseck-based 4th Squadron
of 2nd Cavalry Regiment, formed
more than 180 years ago as the
2nd Regiment of Dragoons and still
nicknamed the Second Dragoons, has
the 8x8 STRYKER IAV as its primary
transport. Based in Catterick the Light
Dragoons, nicknamed the Northern
alliance forces
Cavalry, function in the Light Cavalry
role as part of the British Army’s new
Adaptable Force. They operate primarily
with highly mobile JACKAL 4x4 recce
vehicles and COYOTE 6x6 logistic
support vehicles, recently refurbished
and repainted NATO Green for eFP
duties, plus PANTHER 4x4 command
and liaison vehicles.
The accompanying photographs of the
Light Dragoons on the VALEX were
supplied by US Army Europe.
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 45
 interview

THE VOID
Daniel highlighted what moviegoers
can expect from The Void, and what his
involvement will add to it; “I think a lot of
movies answer all the questions for you,
but what you’ll ´nd in The Void is that
not all the questions are answered. It’s
Former Canadian Armed Forces member and British Army not wrapped up in a bow and presented
Reservist, Daniel Fathers, can be seen in the new ɯlm from to you, there’s going to be a lot of ques-
Signature Entertainment, The Void. C&S recently spoke to tions the audience will be asking after
the movie, that creates dialogue and
him about his career as an actor and military man. gets people talking about the movie,

D
aniel Fathers has built
quite a reputation for
himself in the acting
world, delivering several
memorable performances
predominantly as a military or ex-
Images © Lionsgate UK
into his roles, and how that helps him
acting-wise; “I love doing anything to
do with the military, and I would say
85% of my career as an actor has been
military or ex-military roles, primarily
because of my experience and knowing
which in itself is entertainment.”
He added; “The other thing is there is
hardly any CGI - all of the ‘monsters’ or
practical effects as we call them are real,
so that sort of goes back to 1970s or

military character. His career has seen the protocols of how to march, ´ring ‘80s horror. However, it’s using today’s
him work with the likes of Ellen Page, movement, taking cover and handling technology of making those practical
Demi Lovato, and The Jonas Brothers. weapons etc.” effects as real as possible. There’s a few
times where I have to attack or defend
Speaking on his background and what Daniel has an illustrious athletic back- myself against these monsters that are
really got him involved in acting, Daniel ground, having competed in rugby and in the movie, and it’s so much easier
stated; “I was born in London, actually bull riding at professional levels in the to do when I’m not doing
do it on a green
right in the West End, right around the past, experiences
iences that have also helped screen, and I’m actually
actual in the ´ght.”
corner from the London Palladium. mould the sorts of roles he will typi-
My dad was a scenic designer - so he cally be castst for. “I have never played Daniel will be playing thet role of Vincent
designed sets for plays and theatres a cellist, or somebody who plays a in The Void. “Vincent’s back story is that
and my mother was primarily a theatre µute because se I don’t have those he’s an ex-US Special
Specia Forces soldier
actress, so I kind of grew up in the skills - mostt of my roles are either so he has those skills
skil and can handle
industry to be honest. I was a child actor military or ex-military. I do all my himself, therefore he’s
h that ‘go get
- I did stage and theatre, and some own stunts,, so any of the sword ‘em’ type of guy and
an a defender of
television as well so it was kind of a ´ghting or actual combat you’ve the
t e people. I didn’t audition for the
th
family business.” seen me doing,
oing, I have done it role, they (the directors)
direc had seen
myself and I love it.” my previous work and they liked
Although he has strong links to his the rough-and-tumble
rough-a type
acting background, Daniel “didn’t want One of the most military roles
r I had done
to be an actor speci´cally”, and would exciting projects
ojects in in the past,
p so they
have preferred to do “something active” Daniel’s career
reer is contacted
conta my agent
along the lines of becoming a soldier or the upcomingng and said we’d like
getting involved in professional sports. highly antici-
ci- Daniel
Dan to read this
pated horror/
or/ script,
scr so I read it and
Having been a part of the Canadian drama The Void, d was
wa interested so it
Armed Forces as a Militia Soldier, directed byy was
wa great.” CJ
and currently serving as a Type B Steven Kostanski
stanski
Commissioned Of´cer for the British and Jeremy y Gillespie. The
Th Void is showing
Army, Daniel has also gathered a wealth The movie prom- in UK cinemas from
of military experience, something he ises to put a modern 31st
31s March and will
acknowledges is a major factor in the twist on the
e features be out on Digital 7th
roles he plays. Daniel shed some light that made old horror April
Ap and DVD & Blu-
on what sort of experience he brings movies classics.
ssics. ray 24th April.

46 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

kit + camo

british army
virtus
CORPORAL, LIGHT DRAGOONS, 2017
48 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
 Article & Images by
BOB MORRISON

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 49

kit + camo Images
Imag
a es
e © Bo
B
Bob
b Mo
Morrison
orrrison
o

While C&S was on the ɯring ranges in North Yorkshire

with the Light Dragoons, over a couple of very cold mid-
February days, one of A Squadron’s NCOs volunteered
to be the subject of this month’s Kit & Camo feature.
He was wearing the newly issued VIRTUS Assault
Order With Torso Protection, which all troops on
their Committed/Contingency Year of the 36-month
A-FORM cycle should now be issued with.

C
&S has covered the
new UK Forces VIRTUS
Personal Protection and
Load Carriage System
several times before, and
indeed it was us who broke the news
of the contract award on our website
on 25th January 2015, but until we
joined A Squadron on the ranges we
had not been able to witness it being
used by soldiers live-´ring. It is only
when you see soldiers actually shooting
while wearing new kit, and listen to
what they think of it while they have
it on for several hours, that one can
independently assess if the of´cial
claims stand up to scrutiny.
In addition to the VIRTUS Scalable
Tactical Vest (STV) in basic plate
carrier con´guration, and the standard
VIRTUS Chassis/MOLLE Belt with
a set of magazine, water bottle and
utility pouches, the corporal overleaf
wears the Revision Batlskin COBRA+
ballistic helmet, which is also part of the
VIRTUS package. As the contoured and
reinforced hip belt, which is supported
by a yoke underneath the STV, has
three rows of PALS (Pouch Attachment
Ladder System) tapes for most of its
length a wide range of both issue and
private purchase accessory / utility
pouches can be added to suit the
wearer’s precise role and requirements.
As all VIRTUS components are
manufactured from UK MoD MTP
(Multi-Terrain Pattern) camouµage
pattern fabrics, we are not focusing on
this particular aspect, save to say that
the accompanying images give a good
impression of how this camo works.
For the record, all troops we chatted to
were generally pleased with VIRTUS on
the ranges.

The Light Dragoons corporal wears the black

Jerboa badge of 4th Infantry Brigade beneath
the Union Flag on his left upper arm and on
his right arm he wears the black and white
vertically split square diamond TRF of his
regiment. He also wears a low visibility Union
Flag on the right side of his helmet, a black
Jerboa patch on the left and his corporal’s
chevrons plus national Áag on his chest. The
boots he wears are issue BATES Boots Patrol;
as he had just returned from a Àeld exercise
in South-West Scotland his Boots Combat
High Liability were being given a break and a
good clean.

50 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 vehicle news

HMT 400 DESERT

UAE PRESIDENTIAL GUARD SPEC
Images © Bob Morrison

On 16th February, Supacat, part of Devon-based SC in service with numerous elite Special
Group, informed C&S it would be unveiling the HMT 400 Forces worldwide”.

Desert, a new variant of its acclaimed JACKAL Special “Supacat is committed to supporting
Operations Vehicle, on the IGG stand at IDEX 2017 in the region and in the event that HMT
the United Arab Emirates. Three days later we snapped 400 Desert is selected by the UAE
these images of it. Presidential Guard a large element of
the production and subsequent support

A
ccording to the company
communiqué: “The HMT
400 Desert has been
adapted to enhance
performance in the
desert’s harsh environment and climatic
conditions. It has no armour and the
lighter gross vehicle mass improves the
power-to-weight ratio and increases
mobility over deep desert sand. Further
desert features include cooling, a central
tyre inµation system and lightweight
bead locks to enable the vehicle to be
operated at the lowest tyre pressures.
“The vehicle has been con´gured to
fully comply with the UAE Presidential
Guard’s requirements for a new
Special Operations Vehicle, including
tactical CH-47 internal loading, and
has undergone successful tactical trials
and testing by UAE forces over the
summer. The HMT series, widely known
as JACKAL, has been battle proven
programmes will be conducted in UAE”,
said Phil Applegarth, Head of Supacat.
“The µexibility of the HMT series has
been recently demonstrated by Supacat
in developing additional variants and
conversions to meet wider and emerg-
ing requirements. These include HMT in
the Recovery, Logistic Support and Gun
Towing roles as well as a unique 4x4 to
6x6 convertible feature, which were an-
nounced in September at DVD in the UK.”

52 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 01: An OpFor Toyota
79-series pick-up,
believed to be
a Minerva SPV
conversion, crewed
foreign forces

Images © Bob Morrison

by ‘Little Grey Men’
patrols in the vicinity
of the station
02: The Abu Dhabi
Police Marching
Band approach the
grandstand at the
start of the IDEX 2017
opening Ceremony in
Abu Dhabi
03: Troops from
Russia’s Presidential
Regiment, also
known as the Kremlin
Regiment, performed
a marching and riÁe
display next

IDEX 2017
01

02

IDEX, the International

Defence Exhibition
and Conference, is by
far the largest military
ABU DHABI
UAE FORCES CAPABILITY DISPLAY [PART 01]
expo in the Middle East,
attracting both exhibitors 03
from around the world and
buyers from across the
region. In past years this
biennial show, which runs
alongside the naval and
maritime security themed
NAVDEX, has clashed
with other commitments
meaning C&S has been
unable to cover it, but this
year our ducks lined up.
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 53
 foreign forces

“THE SCENARIO COVERED THIS MONTH,

AND NEXT, ALTHOUGH PERFORMED
MOSTLY BY SOLDIERS WAS HEAVILY
CHOREOGRAPHED...”

05

04 07

M
ilitary expos like IDEX,
and DSEi in London,
Eurosatory in Paris
and SOFEX in Jordan,
etc., primarily give
us a chance to look at forthcoming
Images © Bob Morrison

and sometimes recently purchased

hardware and allow us to talk direct
to knowledgeable manufacturer
representatives to increase our
information database. Much of what
we see gets archived - Carl’s personal
archive of military catalogues and
photographs is massive, putting mine
in the shade - to allow us to refer back

54 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 IDEX
2017
08

04: As a train carrying

food and medical aid
approaches the road
crossing near Mount
Papakura station a
group of civilians try to
storm it
05: Civilians Áee as the
train comes under Àre
from insurgents – on
the ground warzone
TV crews are in close 09
recording the action
for the big screens
06: Panicking civilians
jump aboard any
available vehicles
to escape the chaos
- they have already
spotted Little Grey Men
advancing
07: The Private
Military Contractors
guarding the train
head for the station,
defending themselves
with pistols, as a
cameraman gets in
close
08: UDF Military Police
ofÀcers arrive and try
to protect the aid train
which the insurgents
appear to be intent on
capturing
09: The approaching
10
insurgents, the Little
Grey Men, are clearly
06 well-equipped and
well-disciplined troops
- they outnumber the
small MP squad
10: UDF medical
assets, marked with
the Red Crescent, are
called in to pick up
injured civilians and
when writing, hopefully, contractors near the
authoritative magazine train and station
features and books, so it
could be many months
or years before we have
reason to use the info
we glean at these shows.
Often, our photographs
of armament, equipment
and vehicles taken at snaps can be incredibly useful as and the associated Capability
these events are used a record of what ´rst appeared Display or Dynamic Demonstration.
purely for reference and where or which speci´c item of IDEX is one of the better ones, as
con´rmation, as snapping military gear a particular country the organisers ADNEC (Abu Dhabi
on cramped and weirdly uses. National Exhibition Centre) and the
lit internal trade stands Union Defence Force have both a
seldom makes for high One area, however, at some military decent chunk of real estate to run
quality, publishable, expos where we can take outdoor it on and the funding to do things
uncluttered images, but photos of vehicles and sometimes well; indeed, for IDEX 2017, held
from time-to-time these troops is the Opening Ceremony from 19th to 23rd February, they

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 55

 foreign forces
“FOR IDEX 2017, HELD FROM 19TH
TO 23RD FEBRUARY, THEY REALLY
PULLED OUT THE STOPS TO MAKE THE
DEMONSTRATION AS AUTHENTIC AS
POSSIBLE”

11
really pulled out the stops to make
12 the demonstration as authentic
as possible for a choreographed
display conducted outside the
Emirate’s equivalent of London’s
ExCel or Birmingham’s NEC.
At this point I must
emphasise that the
scenario covered this
month, and next,
although performed
mostly by soldiers was
heavily choreographed
13 and weapons were
not ´red; a very well
Images © Bob Morrison
timed music and sound effects
track ran for the duration of
the dynamic display, along with
a multimedia presentation on
two massive screens facing the
audience seated in the 250-metre
long grandstand. Apart from
anything else, as the watching
VVIPs and VIPs included royalty
and very senior
regional
politicians, it

56 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 IDEX
2017
11: Insurgent troops
continue to Áood
down from the hills
paying no attention
to the medical crew’s
neutrality and the
ambulances start to
bug out
12: After the medics
pull out it appears that
squads of insurgents
are now everywhere - 15
here they are attacking
the station building
13: Another insurgent
squad moves in to seize
a chemical storage
facility near the docks
- they wear black face
masks to terrorise
civilians
14: Having knocked out
troops in a security
post overlooking
the docks a squad of
insurgents takes it over
to provide top cover for
colleagues
15: Here the Little Grey
Men have taken control
of a tramp steamer
in the docks and are
starting to carry off
drums of dangerous
chemicals 16
16: In the port, guarded
by colleagues, a couple
of insurgents load
chemicals from the
dockside into a small
boat to spirit them
away
17: Another of the many
Toyota gunships used
14 by the insurgents
on patrol near the
captured station
building - normally
these vehicles are
sand coloured

17
was not really feasible to have live
riµes in use just ´fty metres away
(remember the fate of Egypt’s
President Anwar Sadat in 1981?).
The scenario, which included
helicopter and fast jet support over
the arena plus concurrent naval
activities a couple of hundred
metres distant (behind the
‘mountain’ backdrop) at NAVDEX,
was set in a ´ctional country
which was rapidly descending into
anarchy. Rebel forces, backed by
a militia from a neighbouring state,
were both disrupting humanitarian
aid and attempting to seize control
of the faltering country, and the
UAE’s Union Defence Forces
(UDF) had been called in as part
of an international coalition to try
to defeat the insurgency, restore
peace, and ensure humanitarian
assistance could be provided to
the starving population.
The UDF has over a quarter
of a century of experience in
working as part of a coalition, as
it participates in the GCC (Gulf

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 57

 18: A patrol of UDF
mechanised infantry
foreign forces approaches to try to
discover precisely
what is going on at
the port and railhead
“A SIZEABLE NUMBER OF UDF TROOPS 19: As the UAE patrol
FOUGHT ON THE RIGHT FLANK OF THE approaches from the
West, an insurgent
MULTINATIONAL FORCE WHICH PUSHED tracked armoured
personnel carrier
SADDAM OUT OF KUWAIT” breaks cover by
punching through a
wooden shack
20: Clearly the
insurgents have
armoured support,
in the shape of
BMP-3 personnel
carriers, but the UAE
has an armoured
battlegroup on the
way...

19

20

From 2007 the UAE deployed a

18
Cooperative Council) Peninsula Shield
Force which exists primarily to deter
military aggression against any of the
Images © Bob Morrison
sweeping advance to the West. Twelve
years later UDF troops were part of
the 10,000-strong Peninsula Shield
company-strength formation to the
Tarinkot region of Afghanistan’s
Uruzgan Province as part of ISAF, and
since 2015 it has played a major part
in the Saudi-led Operations DECISIVE
STORM and RESTORING HOPE
which aim to restore the legitimate
government of Yemen overthrown by
Houthi rebels. In September 2015, as
a result of a rebel rocket attack on a
military base, 45 soldiers from the UAE
were killed.

member countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, deployment into Kuwait to protect

Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the
UAE itself. In 1991 a sizeable number
of UDF troops fought on the right
µank of the multinational force which
pushed Saddam out of Kuwait, and
indeed it was Peninsula Shield troops
who liberated Kuwait City while others
nations in the coalition made the long
the country from Saddam as the
predominantly US and UK force invaded
Iraq to topple the Arab dictator.
In 2011, at the request of the Bahrain
Government, UDF troops working
alongside Saudi allies deployed to the
island state to help quell an insurgency.
In this ´rst feature we see how the
insurgents use force to take over the
infrastructure of the ´ctional Mount
Papakura, including its port and railway
station, as a small UDF force of military
police and medics attempts to assist the
civilian population.
To be continued...

58 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 +++STOP PRESS+++
21ST MARCH 2017:
special operations REVISION ANNOUNCE
THE AWARD OF THE US
01 ARMY COMBAT HELMET
CONTRACT WORTH UP TO
$98 MILLION OVER THE
NEXT FIVE YEARS.

01: New helmet is

heavily padded and
has Revision’s well-
liked adjustable head/
chin strap system
02: Helmet with both
lightweight ballistic
panels Àtted and
restrained by hook &
loop tape
03: Rear view of
upturned helmet -
ballistic panels have
matching felt pads for
accessory attachment
04: The new Revision
FTHS bump Helmet
submission with
ballistic panels and
Desert Locust goggles
05: Ballistic panels
removed leaving the
basic lightweight
bump helmet – note
black hook & loop pads
06: Detail of side
accessory rails - note
that mannequin head

US SOCOM
is rather small and
helmet sit is higher

NEXT GENERATION HELMET

REVISION’S FTHS BUMP HELMET SUBMIISSION
Images © Bob Morrison

Readers should be aware of the Revision Military brand, as not only has the company
been supplying protective eyewear to UK Forces for several years, but their
BATLSKIN COBRA+ ballistic helmet is in service with British Army and Royal Marines
personnel issued with VIRTUS during the Committed / Contingency Year of their 36-
month readiness cycle. Now the company has entered the SpecOps arena.

W
e ´rst became aware
of Revision’s serious
foray into the highly
specialist SpecOps
‘Bump’ helmet ´eld
when they issued a press release early
last October announcing they had been
awarded a development contract by
the US Department of Defense for
their next-generation FTHS (Family of
Tactical Headborne Systems) helmet
platform programme. This contract
was actually awarded last July, and by
the time the press release was issued 02
Revision had already delivered several
hundred samples for testing in ful´lment
of their development contract.
The privately owned company, which
today develops and delivers purpose-
built protective soldier equipment for
military use worldwide, started out in
the protective eyewear ´eld but has
now expanded into the face, head and

60 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 03

REPORT & IMAGES BY

BOB MORRISON
torso protecti
protection ´eld as well
energy storage and
as the energ
power ma management
military sector.
operational
Its op
head
headquarters is in
Ver
Vermont in the
United
Uni States,
but it also has
of´ces in Montreal, 05
in Canada,
Ca Bristol
in the UK and
Luxembourg.
Luxe In
2015 it bought
out the American
MSA ballistic
helmet
helm business
and manufacturing
facilities.
facilit

Revision was
wa one of only 06
three companies
compa awarded a
SOCOM FTHS development Riverine, Ground Ballistic, and Ground
contract and their submission Bump systems plus specially-designed
also includes a headborne accessories to enhance the multi-use
PSM (Personal
(Persona Signature helmet systems for specialist HALO/
Management) package,
p blunt/ HAHO, Boat, Vehicle, Mountain, Riverine
ballistic mandibles,
mandible daytime and Direct Action operations.
visors, an NVG splash
spla shield, and
their new multilayer liner
line comfort We spotted one of their carbon SOCOM
system with removable ´t band and Bump helmets, said to be the ´rst in
concave shell design to support
s NVG the industry which can be ballistically
use. The unique multi-purpose
multi-pu helmet enabled with appliqué armour for blunt
04 suite consists of Coastal Marine, force and ballistic protection during

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 61

 special operations
07

Special Operations, when visiting their 07: Special

stand at IDEX. After being shown how Operations Forces
helmets are cut
the scalable protection works, we were higher at the side
allowed to take the helmet outside to to accommodate
take it apart for photographs in natural bulky comms
systems
light.
08: When Revision
According to the company, their unveiled their
“novel operational approach reduces Batlskin Cobra 08
helmet at DVD 2010
the neck load burden during highly there was a fair bit
dynamic operations while still of derision
providing the protection required to 10
09: By DSEi 2011 we
accomplish the mission. This, coupled had spotted that
with the skeletonisation of all system the basic Batlskin
components, has signi´cantly reduced Cobra was a likely
contender for UK
the overall weight compared to helmets VIRTUS
on the market today”. Any soldier who
has worn Revision’s in-service COBRA+ 10: By Ex. ANAKONDA
‘16 not only was
helmet will be well aware of just how Revision’s helmet
light these are in comparison with earlier on issue but so
issue helmets, yet protection levels was their mandible
guard

09

are equal or superior to their are unable to publish facts

Images © Bob Morrison

predecessors. and ´gures. Later this year

C&S has seen some
speci´cation details of
Revision’s new FTHS Bump
helmet, plus we have donned
it with armour plates attached
to verify for ourselves that it
really is as light as they say,
but at this moment in time we
a commercial model, which
has already been named, will
be available for the Special
Operations and Special Forces
community to procure. Watch
future COMMS pages for more
detail.

62 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

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comfort & Survival

OUTDOOR GEAR
Images © Mike Gormley unless noted BY MIKE GORMLEY
01

KEELA MUNRO 02 03
SALOPETTES
These have been on my radar for a long
time and there are many days I have
had ‘out on the hill’ where life would
have been a whole lot more comfortable
had I been wearing them. For example,
one very long snowy day in Scotland.

My son Bruce has had these Salopettes,

and the Keela Munro jacket, for many
years and they have been to some
pretty harsh places. However, my ´rst
time out with these was a particularly
wet and windy weekend on Dartmoor,
so we are off to a good start.

Salopettes are pretty full on and not

really a garment you want to be taking
on and off with every passing shower.
This said, they are very comfortable,
protect against wind and the general
dirt or abrasion of being ‘out there’
as well as being very breathable and
temperature controlled with Keela’s own
SDP (System Dual Protection) which
also keep the wet out. These garments
are perhaps more associated with skiing
and extreme mountaineers, but are used
in many activities in which the wearer
needs really good protection against the
weather, snow and water.
Of real importance, they overcome that
potentially very uncomfortable gap
between top and trousers. These are
‘bib & brace’ so stay up and in place,
giving good protection to the torso as
well as the legs. The legs are fully zipped
with Velcro storm µaps so they can be

64 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL


04
´tted with boots in place. At the bottom
of each leg is an internal snow gaiter.
On the front is a zip µy and a good
sized zipped and storm-µapped pouch
pocket. The inner legs and knees and
backside are suitably protected with
abrasion-resistant material. The knees
are articulated for ease of movement.
All-in-all these are high spec Salopettes.
With these and the likes of the Keela
Munro or, as I have, the Cumulus Pro
jacket you’ll relish getting out there in
bad weather as you know you will be
well protected.
01: My son Bruce wearing his Munro Salopettes
on top of Ama Dablam with Mt. Everest behind
02: Each lower leg has a snow gaiter which is
elasticated to give a good seal
03: This photo shows the dual layering of
material on high stress areas
04: The Keela Munro Salopettes showing all their
key features
05: These Keela Salopettes have full length leg
zips for easy donning and dofÀng
05
06
COLEMAN CXS+
RECHARGEABLE LED
HEADTORCH
Regular readers will recall I covered
the Coleman 250 a short time back,
so this is the next up from the same
manufacturer. Both power up to 300
Lumens and the principal difference is
that is it a rechargeable unit.
These lights have some rather
interesting features, in that you can
completely disconnect the battery over
and above the on/off switch. This is
to protect from any current loss over
time and also to prevent inadvertent
switching on in your pack - not good
if you are trying to be covert. This
function is achieved by pulling the front
body away from the main body so a red
line shows. Very positive.
Various light powers (x4) are available
from Red On ´rst, again good for
those who need to be tactical. These
are activated by the top push switch.
Another very different feature is the
hand sensitive switching as well as the
push button. Once the light is ‘on’ you
can move through the power settings
just by passing your hand in front of the
beam. Pretty nifty and makes life easy
with gloves and cold wet hands etc... I
have found a bit of a problem here as, if
working up close to a subject, it is quite
easy to cause the light to switch - this
is in a range of about 6 inches (150mm)
and is quite precise.
I must say, I do like rechargeable
technology. In these days of the LED,
batteries last for ages and, in this case,
time is quoted from 55 hours at Low
to 2.5 hours on Max, which is not bad.
With a suitable recharging system you
are sorted for a long time with no extra
batteries required. Money saved and
pollution lowered.
06: This head torch has a very adaptable soft feel
head band so can be worn on its own or with hats
and helmets
07: The Coleman 300 is rechargeable by whatever
means you have - like this TexEnergy battery pack
07
08
TEXENERGY TEX FLEX
BATTERY
You may have seen my previous item
on TexEnergy. Since then, they have
launched the TexFlex µexible battery.
As well as being µexible in that it has
three elements and can fold up, it is also
water proof to one metre, so perfectly
rain proof and very durable. Jerry of
TexEnergy demonstrated this to me in
graphic form by banging hard on a table
when I met with him at the Outdoor
Trade Show; he is a former Royal Marine
so clearly has a good understanding of
what is required of a product for use in
the great outdoors and at a high level.
The µexible side of this new product is
designed so the user can keep it in a
pocket or small pack and, as it is thin and
µexible, it is not a lump on your side...
or pain on the bum. The TexFlex can
be used to re-power the likes of mobile
phones, GPS, torches and so on, and is
good for about two recharges. I used it to
keep my comms going for two wet days
on Dartmoor with no bother at all. It can,
of course, be recharged from the grid,
but also from solar or TexEnergy’s own
In´nite Orbit hand-powered generator
[previously reviewed on these pages].
Connectivity is via a waterproofed multi-
plug with LEDs to show charge level. All
very neat and usable.
There is a larger version on the way, as is
the wind-powered charger, and I hope to
bring these both to you in due course.
08: Recharging the Tex Flex using the TexEnergy
InÀnite Orbit hand powered generator to give
power self-sufÀciency come rain or shine
09: Re-powering my phone in camp while I got on
with my personal admin
09
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 65
 comfort & Survival
Images © Mike Gormley unless noted
11
ZAMBERLAN HUNTER
PRO GTX RR
I have a few items of footwear from
Zamberlan - I have used them for some
years, and I still do. Far from the ‘tried,
reviewed and put on the shelf’ group,
these get abused on a regular basis.
The new kids on the block are these
Hunter Pros. Interesting, as they’re
perhaps not really on the normal radar
and and a bit deep into the Zamberlan
website as well as being less likely to be
found on the shelf at normal suppliers.
I have to say Zamberlan do have a
huge range to choose from and even in
this area there are a good few to pick
from. As for these Hunter Pros, these
are high leg military style boots. I call
them my ‘Dartmoor Boots,’ as they
are the obvious choice if you’re going
66 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
10
12
out on moorland areas where you will
encounter soft wet boggy conditions
and need to cross streams and walk in
water (not on water Ed, as even these
are not that good) and perhaps snow.
They protect you well from all sorts
including rock and rough scrub as well
as offering good physical support.
The insulated uppers are Hydrobloc full
grain waxed leather. There is a µex area
at the ankle to ease stress in this area
while on the move. The soles are good
for rugged use with angled grips for
both uphill and downhill and have lugs
on the instep if you end up on an edge.
As a long leg boot they are very easy
to put on, to the point when I ´rst put
them on it is like putting on my favourite
best-´tting gloves.
These are available in half sizes and they
are made on a wide last, which for me
“I RATHER LIKE THESE
BOOTS AND LOOK
FORWARD TO MY NEXT
TRIP OUT ON THE MOOR
WITH THEM.”
13
14
helps for added comfort. I wore these
a few times round the house, a bit OTT
I know, and then out on Dartmoor on a
particularly nasty weekend. I have to say
I was a bit smug as we waded around
in the water and wet boggy conditions.
Warm, dry and comfortable all weekend.
Not to be outdone, a friend has ordered
a pair in time for our next trip to the
moor in a couple of weeks.
As you may gather, I rather like these
boots and look forward to my next trip
out on the moor with them.
10 : New and unused but not for long - check out
the comprehensive Vibram tread pattern
11: Zamberlan’s distinctive logo
12: Hunter Pro detail - note the Flex System which
provides good comfort when walking
13: These Hunter Pro boots have a good high leg
so are very protective in many ways
14: Zamberlans in conditions they were made for

15
VAUDE MONTE
ROSA GAITER 2
For me, gaiters are a very underrated
garment and often the forgotten add-
on. However, when plodding across wet
soggy moorland or in snow, they are
close to essential to keep you separated
from the cold wet stuff outside your
boots and legs.
Vaude, as you may expect, have some
pretty good ones. So far these have
proved to be robust and they have a
toughened area on the inside leg where
they will invariably get scuffed. They
also have a robust under-boot neoprene
adjustable strap with a good keeper.
They are elasticated for a close boot ´t
and have a good strong lace hook to
keep the gaiter forward on your boot.
There is a draw cord at the top to stop
stuff going down inside.
These gaiters only have a Velcro
fastening but some other models have
zips; perhaps contentious for some. This
fastener is at the front for ease of use,
though some may prefer the back and
some will prefer a zip as well, but I ´nd
the Velcro strong enough.
All in all these work and look like they
will last a good few hard trips.
15: Monte Rossa gaiters certainly do the job
16: Close Àtting over the boot and held in place
by the keeper strap and metal lace hook - note
reinforced material
16
PRODUCT UK CONTACT
Coleman Coleman UK
Keela Keela
REAL Turmat Drytech
TexEnergy TexEnergy
Vaude Vaude
Zamberlan Zamberlan
17
REAL TURMAT FREEZE 18
DRIED FOOD
When I see outdoor products come
from Scandinavia I am pretty sure it will
be good. Turmat come from Tromsø in
Northern Norway (I was there last year).
When you come from the far North
you fully recognise the need to have
good, nutritious and tasty food when
outdoors.
On a wet weekend on Dartmoor I was
sustained by REAL Turmat when out on
the moor. For me this included a Pasta
Bolognaise and Chocolate Muesli for
dinner and a Fruit Muesli for breakfast.
I have to say all of these were both
satisfying and very tasty indeed.
Preparation is easy enough. Tear off the
you wait for them to rehydrate. There
packet top at the marked place, open,
is a good range on the menu including
and pour in boiling water to the mark on
some rather Scandinavian ones, such as
the outside of the container; so a bit of
Reindeer Stew.
care required here. Give it a good mix
and reseal using the press ´xing then
I would be very happy to spend a
leave for the required time as shown on
few days out on these meals. (The
the packet - eight minutes for the main
Norwegian Armed Forces, as well as
and about two for the others. The heat
armies of some other nationalities, use
is kept in for this time so your revived
Drytech REAL Turmat pouches in their
and tasty food is hot and ready as you
Arctic ration packs, Ed.)
open up.
17: My evening meal and breakfast sorted -
A long spoon is advisable for the deep welcome simplicity of food prep on a nasty
pouches. The pouches are designed Dartmoor night, and tasty too!
to open up at the base to make them 18: Ready to go in a few minutes after the hot
able to stand up and be stable while water is poured in - my evening pasta meal
TELEPHONE WEB
01275 845 024 coleman.eu/uk/
01592 777 000 keela.co.uk
+47 77600 300 drytech.no/produkter/
07860 653 570 texenergy.co.uk
01665 510660 vaude.com
01665 510660 zamberlan.com
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 67

security industry
TERRORIST OR
POLITICIAN?
THE LATE MARTIN MCGUINNESS
T
he recent death of
Martin McGuinness has
highlighted the ongoing
peace process and politics
of Northern Ireland and his
role in them. Hailed by his supporters
and some politicians as a ‘peacemaker’
of Sinn Féin who sold the Good Friday
Agreement to the Provisional Irish
Republican Army (PIRA) and allowed
political reconciliation to move forward
he was also well known as a dedicated
terrorist who allegedly murdered
innocent people.
Described as a “great family man” by
Jeremy Corbyn and “a formidable
foe” by Tony Blair, the power sharing
he helped create for Northern Ireland
has allowed terrorists on both the
Republican and Loyalist side to have
their jail sentences reduced and be
immune to prosecution, whilst soldiers
of the British Army who were there
to help maintain security for the
Province’s citizens (of all faiths) are
now being brought to court on charges
and have no immunity thanks to Tony
Blair. So why is opinion of him so
divided?
The Martin McGuinness we see now
was, until recently, the Deputy First
Minister of Northern Ireland working
alongside the Reverend Ian Paisley. He
had been Sinn Fein’s chief negotiator
during the peace talks that led to
the Good Friday Agreement and,
as a member of the Provisional Irish
Republican Army’s (PIRA) ruling
council, held back their terrorist
operations to allow the peace process
Image © Bob Morrison: Military Scene
to proceed. It is this de´ning role in the
latter part of his life which has seen him
described as a peacemaker.
Whilst it cannot be denied that the
peace process would not have been
as successful without him, and that
his role as a British politician at the
end of his life could be seen as more
important than his beginnings, we
must remember how he started this
journey and why Sinn Féin came to the
negotiating table in the ´rst place.
Martin was born in Londonderry in the
68 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL
1950s. He was one of seven children
and, having failed the 11 plus exams,
went to work in a butchers shop. As
the Catholic majority used civil rights
marches as a form of legal protest
against legitimate civil injustices, Martin
joined PIRA and used the innocent
civilians on the marches as a screen to
allegedly ´re at British Security Forces,
trying to incite a disproportional and
inappropriate response. By 1971 he was
a senior terrorist commander (known
as the Butcher of Bogside) and his
organisation brought daily destruction,
kidnappings, torture, punishment
beatings, criminal fund raising activity
and death in Northern Ireland and,
from 1973, mainland Britain - killing
1,800 people including children.
One notable death it is alleged
Martin was responsible for
was Patsy Gillespie,
whose family was
held hostage
whilst Patsy
was ordered to
drive a vehicle-
borne improvised
explosive device
(VBIED) to a local
Army Barracks which was
remotely detonated as it reached
its destination in the manner of a
‘proxy bomb’.
However, despite all the death
and destruction it caused, the
PIRA knew it could never win
by violence alone. Most terrorist
campaigns tend to have a
religious or political end state
that they work towards to give
themselves some form of
legitimacy (otherwise
their activities
would just
be murder
for the sake
of it) and,
in that sense
PIRA are no
different from AQ, ISIS or
the Taliban - they all have a
‘mission statement’ or end
goal. The idea of the two-
pronged approach is so that
the terrorists can bomb and
“WHILST IT CANNOT BE DENIED
THAT THE PEACE PROCESS WOULD
NOT HAVE BEEN AS SUCCESSFUL
WITHOUT HIM...WE MUST
REMEMBER HOW HE STARTED
THIS JOURNEY...”
kill their way to the negotiating table
and force the government to pander
to their needs (normally meaning the
senior individuals want some form of
power) rather than use a legitimate
form of protest or political change by
majority consent.
Martin knew that PIRA had to have a
political arm (Sinn Féin) and engage
with the British government as
his organisation had been beaten
militarily by the increasingly effective
surveillance, ambush activity and
arrests by Security Forces and the
increasing number of covert sources
that provided human intelligence from
inside the organisation, plus the lack
of support from the public which had
grown disenchanted with the amount
of innocent civilians killed (as seen in
the reaction to the Omagh bombing).
The PIRA had been so successfully
penetrated that they had to create an
internal counter-intelligence branch
(called the Internal Security
Unit or ‘nutting squad’)
that would conduct
internal investigations into
failed operations, debrief
members of PIRA who had
been arrested by the police
and torture suspected
informers then, once a
confession had been
extracted, execute
them in a similar
manner to the Taliban
and ISIS today.
Since both Martin
and his colleague
Gerry Adams knew that the PIRA
were beaten, and that Martin himself
was facing arrest and prosecution
for murder, they had to engage
politically to acquire immunity from
prosecution. In my opinion
that’s the
real Martin
McGuinness
and why he
became a
‘peacemaker’.
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.
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 01
footwear

Report & Images by

BOB MORRISON
02 03 04

MAGNUM OPUS ASSA

Images © Bob Morrison

There were quite a few footwear manufacturers displaying at the IDEX military
expo held in Abu Dhabi in February but, with the exception of a handful of worldwide
brands, as unfortunately these companies mostly only sell direct to government
agencies and as their boots were primarily aimed at Arab and Asian markets, few if
any will make it into the European / UK / US shops. The OPUS Assault Tactical from
MAGNUM, however, is one boot that will as pre-orders are already being accepted.

A
lthough primarily
intended as a black
training and patrol
boot, display samples
produced in other colours
were on show at the expo and it was
the Sage Green version that caught
my eye. European military forces are
gradually moving away from black
combat boots to brown, but elsewhere
in the world green boots are sometimes
deemed more appropriate, particularly
where sage is a major colour in the
uniform camouµage. The US Air Force,
which is almost four times the size of
the British Army, also authorises the
wearing of sage green boots with
‘Tiger Stripe’ ABU and most of the US
military boot manufacturers have made
footwear in this colour.
Ignoring the eye-catching colourway,
which on this factory fresh display
sample is possibly a little too green, the
OPUS Assault Tactical has a couple of
very interesting other features, not least
of which is the construction. According
to publicity blurb, the uppers are
constructed by heat pressing and
bonding polyurethane with a substrate
(in material technology, a covering
that is applied to the surface of an
object) material. We can con´rm
the resultant innovative high
performance Kurim Protection
upper is indeed super lightweight,
and the manufacturer claims the
breathable net mesh construction
offers high abrasion resistance
and has limited water retention.
Magnum also say that the innovative
construction ensures the boot
remains lightweight and µexible,
while offering maximum upper
durability.

70 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL

 01: The OPUS Assault
Tactical from Magnum
is an ultra-light fabric,
mesh and leather
training and patrol
boot
02: The high
performance Kurim
Protection upper
and composite sole
construction gives an
ultra- lightweight boot
03: Other than the
sage green colour the
most striking thing
about this boot is the
use of the BOA closure
system
04: Most of these boots,
which will also be
available in shorter
height, will be in black
and used by blue light
services
05: In this shot the
BOA wheel has been
popped to disengage
and the steel laces
have been slightly
loosened
06: The interesting
tread pattern is
intended for use over
variable surfaces
and to give superior
traction on slippery
terrain
07: Here the BOA
ratchet wheel is
engaged and the steel
lace is tightened to
give a snug Àt on the
foot
08: This diagram
shows how the BOA
wheel is released to
loosen the lace and
engaged to tighten
again

05

AULT TACTICAL
07

WITH BOA LACING SYSTEM

As for the sole, which has a very
06 interesting tread pattern which we
think should work well on smooth wet
surfaces, this incorporates proprietary which in recent years has become
Magnum RECOIL midsole technology very popular on ski boots and is now
for cushioning and good rebound and creeping into the sports shoe market.
the decoupled outsole heel is said to This patented system, which gives the
isolate the initial strike zone during boot a very close ´t, uses a steel lace,
walking to improve shock absorption. nylon guides and a mechanical ratchet
Of the outsole, which is made from reel. My only concern would be, is it
durable carbon rubber, the company squaddie-proof and easy to ´x in the
claims the multi-directional lugs deliver ´eld?
superior traction, grip and support on
slippery terrain. Of course we have not
yet had an opportunity to wear these 08
ultra-new boots, so we cannot verify
the company claims.

In my mind, however, the most

interesting thing about these boots is
the use of the BOA closure system,

COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 71

movie review
SWISS
ARMY MAN
STARRING DANIEL RADCLIFFE & PAUL DANO
I
am very fortunate in not having
had a child who went through
their primary school years and/
or early teens between 2001 and
2011, so I was not forced to endure
the period of bedlam associated with
the release of the eight ´lms in the Harry
Potter franchise. Consequently, and
only having had seen short snatches of
some of the ´lms on television, before
watching this movie I had no major
preconceptions of Daniel Radcliffe, who
played the title role on the big screen.
Swiss Army Man has no military theme
and only touches on the survival topic p
in a minor way, though in some senses
Paul Dano’s character (Hank)
ank) is a bit
of a ‘Robinson Crusoe’ so maybe it
does more than touch it, but don’t let
that put you off. Billed as a comedy
drama, the story starts withth Hank
marooned on a small desert ert island,
close to the end of his resources
ources having
constructed a series of miniature
niature boats
and despatched them with h messages of
help but all to no avail. He is just about
to hang himself when he spots Manny
(Radcliffe) washed up on the shore, and
from that point on he has a purpose in
life again.
At ´rst Manny’s corpse appears
ppears
to be of little or no use to
Hank... until he realises he
can harness the body’s
µatulence as a propulsion device.
I won’t give the game away ay further,
save to say that ´rst the pair go on an
COMBAT & SURVIVAL | 72
“The movie is about a farting corpse, but
we wanted to take that and make it the
most beautiful thing we could and make it
the most heartfelt thing we could...”
- Daniel Scheinert, Co-writer & Co-director.
adventure and eventually Hank teaches
the corpse to move and speak. This may
seem a triµe bizarre, but excellent acting
from Radcliffe makes the whole premise
believable. Yes there are lots of farts and
a few boners in there, but the plot of this
buddy movie is a quantum leap ahead
of the likes of the Inbetweeners movie
and its sequel or the later movies in the
American Pie franchise,
as µatulence and
erections are not
just thrown in for
cheap laughs.
Other than
Hank and
Manny,
nobody else
makes an
appearance throughout this 90+ minute
movie until the woman of Hank’s
dreams, played by Mary Elizabeth
Winstead (John Mclane’s daughter
Lucy in the last two Diehard movies),
enters the story a little over ten minutes
from the end, to be joined by a small
number of supporting actors for the
last few scenes. It is only now that what
at ´rst ap
appeared to be a silly movie,
which then seamlessly morphed
into a weird one, really begins
make sense - only to leave
to m
the intelligent
i viewer thinking
deeper
deep about what has actually
been happening. Watch this one
right to the end... and then reµect.
that desert island actually exist
Did tha
anywhere other than inside Hank’s
anywher
head?
Released in the UK by Lionsgate
Releas
Swiss Army Man will be available
DVD and Blu-Ray from Friday
on D
10th April, the day after this
magazine hits the newsstands.
mag
I think you will probably enjoy
that for its humour, for its
it, be th
deeper story, or just for the superb
acting o of Radcliffe and Dano; not to
mention the quality of the non-CGI
stunts anand effects plus the incredibly
corpse models. BM
realistic co
next issue
COMBAT
+SURVIVAL

N
ext month: Carl Schulze
will look at today’s
German Airborne Forces
in the form of the
restructured Schnelle
Kräfte and Luftlandebrigade; Bob
Morrison plans to cover both the
armour and vehicles of the UAE Union
Defence Forces, paying particular
attention to the home-grown NIMR
(TIGER) range of wheeled vehicles,
plus focussing on the newly issued
four-colour UDF pixellated uniform
camouµage pattern; and, if we can ´nd
space, Richard Brown will bring us a
feature on the new and radical CMP
SMG from UAE ´rearms manufacturer
Caracal. We also have a couple of
interesting prospective features in the
of´ng, but as at time of writing we do
not yet have photography ´nalised we
are not tempting fate by announcing
them in advance.
Plus: Product Reviews,
Rations, Kit & Camo etc.
Contents may change subject to operational developments!

June '17
Issue
On Sale
11th May

74 | COMBAT & SURVIVAL