7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery | |
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Active | 27 June 1961 –present All of the individual batteries were formed in the period 1800-1805 and have existed continuously since their formation. |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch | ![]() |
Role | Close Support Artillery |
Size | 5 Batteries 357 personnel [1] |
Part of | 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team |
Garrison/HQ | Merville Barracks, Colchester |
Nickname(s) | Airborne Gunners |
Drop Zone Flash | ![]() |
Equipment | L118 Light Gun |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Lt Col Farrell RHA |
7th Parachute Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery (7 Para RHA) is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It currently [update] serves in the field artillery role with 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team, and is equipped with the L118 Light Gun.
The regiment was constituted in 1961 out of existing batteries that have served continuously since the Napoleonic Wars.
The regiment was formed on 27 June 1961 with the re-designation of 33rd Parachute Light Regiment Royal Artillery as 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. The regiment first saw action in the middle-east in Kuwait in 1961 and then in Aden in 1963–65 where it was involved in fierce fighting in the Radfan mountains. The 1970s and 80s saw the regiment involved in four Northern Ireland tours in the infantry role as well as a period where they briefly lost their airborne status and were arms-plotted to Germany until 1984 when they joined newly formed 5th Airborne Brigade and returned to Aldershot. [2]
In 1994 the regiment deployed to Cyprus as part of the UN mission to patrol the buffer-zone between Cypriot and Turkish forces. This was followed in 1996–97 with two battery deployments to Bosnia as part of the NATO mission and the Kosovo campaign of 1999. [2]
Since the formation of 16 Air Assault Brigade in 1999, 7 Para RHA has been involved in numerous overseas operations. The Sierra Leone campaign in summer 2000 was followed by involvement in the 2001 Macedonia conflict as 'Operation Essential Harvest' a year later. The regiment also sent a number of troops to Northern Ireland in 2001 who were at the forefront of the Holy Cross riots in that year while deployed with the 1st Battalion the Royal Irish Regiment. Two batteries deployed to the Kabul area of Afghanistan in early 2002. [2]
On the afternoon of 19 March 2003 the regiment fired the first shots of the Iraq War by any coalition ground forces. The next day they crossed the border in support of the US I Marine Expeditionary Force. The regiment was instrumental in securing the strategic Rumalya oilfields and supporting the MEF in their move north to Nasiriyah. [3] [4] [5] [6]
In late 2003 the regiment moved from Aldershot to Colchester to join the rest of 16 Air Assault Brigade. 2006 saw the first of the regiment's three tours of Afghanistan. The first of these saw the regiment play a key role in the break into Helmand province. This tour attracted much public attention and has often been described as the most intense combat fighting since the Korean War of the 1950s. The regiment returned to Helmand two years later and were again involved in heavy fighting – cumulating in the large scale operation to move a turbine from Kandahar along a heavily mined and fiercely defended road to the Kajaki Dam. 7 Para RHA's final deployment on Op Herrick saw the regiment's gun groups and Fire Support Teams deploy to central Helmand Province in order to provide offensive support to 16th Air Assault Brigade. [7]
In May 2013, V Battery was disbanded. [8]
In September 2013, the regiment was part of Exercise Sphinx Resolve. [9]
Following the Army 2020 Refine, the Honourable Artillery Company formed A (1st City of London) Battery, The Honourable Artillery Company to provide a reserve element for 7 Para RHA. This battery is co-located with RHQ HAC at Finsbury Barracks. [10] [11]
In August 2021, members of the Regiment (held at high readiness), deployed to Kabul in Afghanistan on Operation Pitting. This was to aid in the extraction of British Nationals, following the rapid Taliban advance across the country and into the city. Over 15,000 eligible Afghans and British Nationals successfully evacuated, in an operation that marked the end of the UK’s 20-year military campaign in Afghanistan.
Under the Future Soldier Programme (from July 2023), the regiment remains under the renamed 16th Air Assault Brigade Combat Team. [12] The regiment's role remains the same, however the regiment's overall structure and strength has expanded. I Parachute Battery (Bull's Troop) re-roles as a Light Gun battery, identical to F (Sphinx) Parachute Battery and G Parachute Battery (Mercer’s Troop). [13] H Battery (Ramsay's Troop) are reformed from suspended animation to take the role of Headquarters Battery in the form of H Parachute Headquarters Battery (Ramsay's Troop). [13] In addition, N Parachute Battery (The Eagle Troop) have joined the regiment to act as a Tactical Group Battery. [13]
As of May 2023, the regiment is organised as follows: [14] [15]
Reserve reinforcement
The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) is a reserve regiment in the British Army. Incorporated by royal charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, it is the oldest regiment in the British Army and is considered the second-oldest military unit in the world. Today, it is also a charity whose purpose is to attend to the "better defence of the realm", primarily through supporting the HAC regiment and a detachment of City of London Special Constabulary. The word "artillery" in "Honourable Artillery Company" does not have the current meaning that is generally associated with it, but dates from a time when in the English language that word meant any projectile, including for example arrows shot from a bow. The equivalent form of words in modern English would be either "Honourable Infantry Company" or "Honourable Military Company".
16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team, from 1999 to 2021 16 Air Assault Brigade, is a formation of the British Army based in Colchester in the county of Essex. It is the Army's rapid response airborne formation and is the only brigade in the British Army focused on delivering air assault operations.
The Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) was formed in 1793 as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery to provide horse artillery support to the cavalry units of the British Army. Although the cavalry link remained part of its defining character, as early as the Battle of Waterloo the RHA was sometimes deployed more along the lines of conventional field artillery, fighting from comparatively fixed positions.
The 4th Regiment Royal Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It was formed in 1939 as 4th Regiment Royal Horse Artillery before being redesignated in 1961. It is currently based at Alanbrooke Barracks in Topcliffe and serves in the light field artillery role, equipped with 105mm light guns.
3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Horse Artillery in the British Army. They are currently based at Albemarle Barracks, Northumberland, England.
1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Horse Artillery in the British Army. It currently serves in the armoured field artillery role, and is equipped with the AS90 self-propelled gun. The regiment is currently based at Larkhill Garrison, Larkhill. The regiment completed its move from Assaye Barracks, Tidworth, to Larkhill in June 2019.
5th Regiment Royal Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army. It was formed in 1939 as 5th Regiment Royal Horse Artillery before being redesignated in 1958. It currently serves in the Surveillance and Target Acquisition role and is equipped with radars and acoustic sound ranging equipment; it also provides Special Observation Post teams.
This is the Operation Herrick ground order of battle, which lists any British ground forces that have taken part in the duration of Operation Herrick between 2002 and 2014.
E Battery Royal Horse Artillery is a Close Support Battery of 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. It is currently based in Purvis Lines in Larkhill Camp.
M (Headquarters) Battery Royal Horse Artillery is the Headquarters Battery of 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, part of the Royal Horse Artillery of the British Army. As of 2015, it is based at Albemarle Barracks, Northumberland, England. The Battery Commander is Maj B Johnston RHA.
N Parachute Battery Royal Horse Artillery is a Tactical Group Battery of 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. They are currently based in Albemarle Barracks in Northumberland.
The Battle of Nawzad (2006–2014) was a battle between ISAF (coalition) forces and Taliban insurgents in Nawzad at the center of Nawzad district in the northern half of Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan.
Forward Operating Base Budwan, or more simply, FOB Budwan, was a military base located near Gereshk, in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. It was occupied by International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces from the United Kingdom and Denmark as part of Task Force Helmand during Operation Herrick.
F (Sphinx) Parachute Battery Royal Horse Artillery is a close support battery of 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, part of the Royal Horse Artillery of the British Army, currently based in Merville Barracks in Colchester.
The 289 Commando Troop originated as a parachute artillery regiment of the Territorial Army formed in London in 1956. It was transferred to the Royal Horse Artillery in 1960 and reduced to a battery in 1967. In 1977 it was re-roled as a Commando battery before being reduced to a troop in 1999. It is now based in Plymouth as a detached part of 266 Battery where they perform the same Close Support Light Gun Role as part of 104 Regiment Royal Artillery, whilst also supporting 29 Commando Regiment in an unofficial role.
G Parachute Battery Royal Horse Artillery is a close support battery of 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, part of the Royal Horse Artillery of the British Army, currently based in Merville Barracks in Colchester.
I Parachute Battery Royal Horse Artillery is the Headquarters battery of 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, part of the Royal Horse Artillery of the British Army, currently based in Albemarle Barracks in Newcastle Upon Tyne.
H Battery Royal Horse Artillery is a battery of 1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, part of the Royal Horse Artillery of the British Army. As of 2015, it is based at Albemarle Barracks, Northumberland, England and is equipped with GMLRS.
V Battery Royal Horse Artillery was a battery of the Royal Horse Artillery. Formed in 1804, the battery took part in the Napoleonic Wars – notably the Peninsular War and Battle of Waterloo – before being placed into suspended animation in 1816 as part of the usual post-war reductions of the British Army.
T Battery Royal Artillery is an air defence battery of the Royal Artillery that serves with the British Army's 12 Regiment Royal Artillery. It is stationed at Baker Barracks, Thorney Island, West Sussex.
G Parachute Battery Nasiriyah.