Feature: Royal Artillery comes to symbolise need for British Army upgrades

An RCH 155 mm/52 calibre wheeled SPH, displayed at DVD 2024. (Janes/Christopher Petrov)

The Royal Artillery (RA) is central to the British Army's drive “to deliver a ten-fold increase in lethality by harnessing precision firepower, surveillance technology, autonomy, digital connectivity, and data”, as mandated by the June UK Strategic Defence Review (SDR).

Key elements of the British Army's ‘Fires' organisation – comprising traditional artillery, long-range rockets, battlefield surveillance, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and air defence, as well as their supporting fire-control and communications networks – are the responsibility of the RA.

This diverse portfolio of capabilities means that almost every British Army combat unit and formation headquarters relies on support from the RA in some way.

Force structure

The British Army's artillery branch comprises the Royal Regiment of Artillery, the King's Gurkha Artillery, and the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA), although the branch is generically known as the Royal Artillery or ‘the Gunners'.

Traditional tube artillery units until recently operated a mix of 155 mm AS90 self-propelled guns and 105 mm Light Guns. These weapons were assigned to close support regiments that provide fire support for infantry and armoured battlegroups. The two regiments, formerly equipped with the Vickers Shipbuilding & Engineering Limited (VSEL) AS90, were assigned to 1 Deep Reconnaissance Strike (DRS) Brigade, which was part of the 3 (UK) Division, the British Army's heavy armoured formation. One reserve and two regular regiments equipped with the Lockheed Martin M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) also serve in 1 DRS Brigade. Five regular or reserve Royal Ordnance 105 mm Light Gun regiments are assigned to the light mechanised, light infantry, airborne, and amphibious brigades. Another reserve 105 mm Light Gun regiment serves in 1 DRS Brigade.