47th Regiment Royal Artillery
British Army artillery regiment
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
47 Regiment Royal Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It is equipped with the Thales Watchkeeper WK450. It is located at Horne Barracks, Larkhill in Wiltshire.[2] It falls under command of Joint Aviation Command.[3]
| 47 Regiment Royal Artillery | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1947 – present |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Role | UAV |
| Size | 5 Batteries 457 personnel[1] |
| Part of | Joint Aviation Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Horne Barracks, Larkhill, Wiltshire |
| Nicknames | The Hampshire & Sussex Gunners |
| Equipment | Thales Watchkeeper WK450 |
History
The regiment was formed in 1947 when 4th Coast Training Regiment Royal Artillery was renamed 47 Coast Training Regiment Royal Artillery.[4] It was reformed as 47 Guided Weapons Regiment Royal Artillery and equipped with the Corporal missile in 1957.[4] In 1965 it was renamed 47 Light Regiment Royal Artillery and equipped with the 105mm Pack Howitzer and then deployed to Aden in 1967.[4] It saw service in Northern Ireland during the Troubles in 1973 and 1975.[4] In 1976 it became 47 Field Regiment Royal Artillery, initially equipped with the 105mm light gun, before moving on to the Abbott self-propelled gun in 1981.[4] 21 Battery and elements of 43 Battery deployed to the South Atlantic during the Falklands War in 1982.[4] 3 Battery, 31 Battery and elements of 21 Battery took part in the Gulf War in 1991.[4] 21 Battery saw action in Bosnia in 1995 and elements of 31 Battery were deployed to Macedonia and to Kosovo in 1999.[4] Between 2001 and 2014 elements of the Regiment were deployed on Operation Herrick in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.[5]
In September 2019, the regiment changed from their Royal Artillery headdress to that of the aviation light blue beret.[6]
Role
The regiment is the sole operator of the Thales Watchkeeper WK450 UAS.[7] By March 2025, the regiment's fleet of Watchkeeper drones will be retired from service. The Army is expected to replace the Watchkeeper with a more advanced drone system.[8][9]
Batteries
The Regiment currently comprises four equipment Batteries and one HQ Battery. The fourth equipment Battery (57 Battery) was added in 2019:[10]
- 10 (Assaye) Battery Royal Artillery
- 31 (Headquarters) Battery Royal Artillery
- 43 Battery (Lloyd's Company) Royal Artillery
- 57 (Bhurtpore) Battery Royal Artillery
- 74 Battery (The Battle Axe Company) Royal Artillery
Previous Batteries
- 4 (Sphinx 1742–1993) Battery Royal Artillery[4]
- 3 Battery Royal Artillery
- 21 (Gibraltar) Battery Royal Artillery
- 25/170 (Imjin) Battery Royal Artillery