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List of equipment of the British Army

This is a list of equipment of the British Army currently in use. It includes current equipment such as small arms, combat vehicles, explosives, missile systems, engineering vehicles, logistical vehicles, vision systems, communication systems, aircraft, watercraft, artillery, air defence, transport vehicles, as well as future equipment and equipment being trialled.

The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of British Armed Forces. Since the end of the Cold War, the British Army has been deployed to a number of conflict zones, often as part of an expeditionary force, a coalition force or part of a United Nations peacekeeping operation.

To meet its commitments, the equipment of the Army is periodically updated and modified. Programs exist to ensure the Army is suitably equipped for both current conflicts and expected future conflicts, with any shortcomings in equipment addressed as Urgent Operational Requirements (UOR), which supplements planned equipment programmes.

Infantry section equipment

Each rifle section typically consists of 8 soldiers. They are each commanded by a corporal assisted by a lance corporal acting as section second-in-command (2IC). The section is further subdivided into 2 fireteams. The section commander typically commands the Charlie Fire Team, while the 2IC commands the Delta Fire Team.

While equipment formations can be tailored as required by section and platoon commanders, infantry sections are usually issued with the following:

Charlie Fire Team (4 men)
- 1× Section Commander, Corporal (OR-4), armed with 1 L85A3 rifle and 1 Glock 17 pistol
- 1× Rifleman, Private (OR-1), armed with 1 L85A3 rifle
- 1× Grenadier, Private (OR-1), armed with 1 L85A3 rifle and 1 L123A2 under-barrel grenade launcher
- 1× Sharpshooter, Private (OR-1), armed with 1 L129A1 Sharpshooter rifle
Delta Fire Team (4 men)
- 1× Second-in-Command, Lance Corporal (OR-3), armed with 1 L85A3 rifle and 1 Glock 17 pistol
- 1× Rifleman, Private (OR-1), armed with 1 L85A3 rifle
- 1× Grenadier, Private (OR-1), armed with 1 L85A3 rifle and 1 L123A2 under-barrel grenade launcher
- 1× Machine Gunner, Private (OR-1), armed with 1 L7A2 general-purpose machine gun

The rifles are typically paired with the ELCAN SpecterOS 4× Lightweight Day Sight (LDS) with a mini-red dot sight (MRD) mounted on the top and a foregrip with an integrated bipod (grenadiers are not issued a foregrip/bipod because they have the L123A2 under-barrel grenade launcher in its place).

The section is also provided MATADOR anti-structure recoilless rifles and NLAW disposable ATGMs, as well as multiple L109A2 high explosive grenades, and L83A1 smoke grenades. Specialist equipment such as claymore mines, L26A1 bangalore torpedoes, L128A1 combat shotgun, etc, can be carried if required.

Vision systems

Sight Unit Small Arms, Trilux (SUSAT) or SpecterOS Lightweight Day Sights (LDS) - for use with the SA80.
Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG) - to be used with the L129A1 Sharpshooter.
ARILLS (Assault Rifle In-Line Low Light Sight) - new infrared / thermal imaging sight for the SA80 A3.
Laser Light Module (LLM Mk3) - used for aiming and illumination with the SA80 A3.
Jim Compact Sight - new infared binoculars that can spot targets from more than 5 km away, have both thermal and low-level light capabilities and can take HD pictures and video recordings. It also has a laser positioning system.
Magnum Universal Night Sight (MUNS) - high-resolution clip-on night vision weapon sight for the L129A1 Sharpshooter. Detects and recognizes man-size targets in excess of 800 meters.
FIST Thermal Sight (FTS) - thermal imaging scope designed to be mounted on rifles and light machine guns. Acquired as part of the MoD's Future Integrated Soldier Technology.
Common Weapon Sight (CWS) - image-intensification night vision scope for weapons or handheld surveillance.
Head mounted Night Vision System (HNVS), based on the American AN/PVS-14.
Schmidt & Bender 5-25x56 PM II - 25x magnification day scope for the L115A3 Sniper Rifle.
Sniper Thermal Imaging Capability (STIC) - thermal imagining sight that is mounted on the L115A3 and AX50.
The command launch unit (CLU) of the Javelin anti-tank missile contains a sophisticated thermal imaging sensor that can double as a reconnaissance tool.

Communications equipment

Personal Role Radio (PRR) - small, light UHF radio with a range of 500m and a battery life of 20 hours, issued to every member of the Infantry section.
Bowman Combat Net Radio - secure HF, VHF, UHF voice and data communications. The MoD plans to replace Bowman with a system named Morpheus in the future.
Falcon - joint tactical trunk communications system for the Land Environment.
Reacher - is a mobile X-Band Satellite Ground Terminal that uses the Skynet V military satellite network
Small SATCOM - the satellite ground terminal is reasonably lightweight (41 kg) and can be set up by a single trained operator in less than 30 minutes, also using the Skynet V network.
Skynet - is a family of military communications satellites, they provide strategic and tactical communication services to the branches of the British Armed Forces, the British intelligence agencies, some UK government departments and agencies, and to allied governments including the Five Eyes intelligence alliance members (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States).
Tactical Satellite Communications (TACSAT) - use low orbiting communications satellites to relay radio signals between operators. The advantage to this method is the ability to communicate in remote areas out of reach of terrestrial transmitters.

Weapons

Pistols

Infantry rifles

Bladed weapons

Long range rifles

Submachine guns

Machine guns

Shotguns

Grenade launchers

Explosives

Indirect fire weapons

Portable anti-material weapons

Surface-to-air missile system

Personal equipment

Protective equipment

Helmet

All soldiers are now equipped with the new Virtus helmet (Revision Batlskin Cobra Plus) which provides increased blunt impact protection, has a lighter weight than the preceding Mk7, can be fitted with face and mandible guards for certain roles, is specially shaped to allow effective weapon usage while in a prone position and wearing body armour, and features a permanent universal night vision mount and a scalable counterweight attached to the helmet's rear in order to ease strain on the user's neck while a night vision device is equipped. The helmet allows the soldier to wear a respirator, hearing protection, goggles and/or a radio headset as necessary.

The previous standard helmet in service was the Mk7 which replaced the older Mk6 and Mk6A helmets on operations.

84,000 Mk 7 helmets were donated to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2022.

Combat body armour

The British Army uses two main combat body armour systems;

The Virtus Scalable Tactical Vest (STV) is the primary body armour system used on live operations, LFTT, and firing ranges and has replaced the previously used Osprey body armour. It is 10 lbs lighter than Osprey and closer-fitting and can have its level of protection more closely scaled to the prevailing threat type. The vest also features a quick-release mechanism to aid safe extraction from hazardous situations such as burning vehicles or drowning and a dynamic weight distribution system which, when linked to a soldier's waist belt, aids in spreading the soldier's load across the back, shoulders, and hips; a mechanism in the small of the back allows the wearer to adjust the weight bias depending on the situation. The STV can be used in a variety of ways including; load carriage without armour, a fragmentation vest with soft composite armour but no hard plates, a plate carrier with no soft armour, and a full body armour system with both soft armour padding and hard plates.

Enhanced Combat Body Armour (ECBA) is a soft body armour vest that was first introduced in the 1980s and can be augmented with ceramic ballistic plates. It was used on operations until the introduction of the Osprey body armour series in 2006 and is now used solely for training purposes, primarily for non-infantry phase one training recruits.

Ancillary to regular body armour is a three-tier pelvic armour system - issued since 2010 - to mitigate against shrapnel and other blast effects. The first layer is a pair of underwear shorts manufactured from a ballistic silk material. The second layer consists of detachable pelvic body armour that is intended to be worn while 'outside the wire' to meet the greater threats faced by soldiers on patrol. The third layer consists of knee-length ballistic shorts worn over a soldier's combat trousers, offering coverage of the upper leg and wider abdominal region and designed for use by soldiers operating hand-held metal detectors to search for explosive devices or otherwise serving in a combat role where greater levels of protection are required.

8,450 sets of Osprey body armour were donated to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2022.

Respirator

By January 2015, over 300,000 General Service Respirators had been delivered to replace the older S10 respirator.

Features which differentiate it from the S10 which it replaced are:

Twin filter canisters can be changed more easily while in a CBRN environment
Single visor give better visibility and reduces the claustrophobic effect
Improved drinking system
Ability to convert to EU standard canisters with a simple modification

These respirators are also used by the rest of the British Armed Forces.

Uniforms

The multi-terrain pattern (MTP) combat clothing is designed to blend with the range of environments such as woodland, jungle, compounds, crops, grassland and arid stone. This change to the British camouflage pattern was the first in 40 years. The uniform is flame-retardant and insect-repellent treated.

Troops on operations are issued with knee length, waterproof socks that have antimicrobial properties similar to those found in medical dressings and keep feet warmer than conventional socks.

Boots

In 2012, the MOD purchased a newly designed range of brown combat boots from Haix, Alt-Berg, and other manufacturers for the Army, Royal Marines and RAF to replace the black and Desert Combat Boot previously worn. Five different types of boots, developed to match the Multi-Terrain Pattern uniform, are available to Armed Forces personnel depending on where they are based and what role they are in. Black boots have been retained for wear with most non-camouflage uniforms as well as units on parade in full dress uniform, such as regiments performing ceremonial duties in central London.

Desert Combat – worn by dismounted troops conducting medium to high levels of activity in desert type environments with temperatures exceeding 40 °C
Desert Patrol – worn by drivers/armoured troops conducting lower levels of activity in desert type environments exceeding 40 °C
Temperate Combat – worn by dismounted troops for medium to high levels of activity in temperate (European) climates
Patrol – worn by mounted troops (drivers/armoured troops) taking part in lower levels of activity in temperate (European) climates
Cold Wet Weather – worn by dismounted troops for medium to high levels of activity in temperatures down to −20 °C.

Personal Role Radio

A Personal Role Radio (PRR) is distributed to every member of an eight-strong infantry section.

It consists of a headset attached to a UHF transmitter/receiver which has 256 channels, a 500m range, 20 hour battery life, weighs 1.5 kg, and is effective through thick cover and walls and floors of buildings, increasing the communication and effectiveness of infantry fireteams.

Load carrying equipment

The Virtus webbing system is the current primary load carrying belt system used by the British Army. It consists of a yoke, MOLLE hip belt and dynamic weight distribution (DWD) system, which provides real weight transference, allowing the soldier, while on the move, to shift the weight of the load between 100% on the shoulders to 100% on the hips and anything in-between. The soldier can choose between a variety of pouches to attach to the belt depending on the mission, including grenade, ammo, PRR, UGL, pistol magazine, medical, bayonet scabbard, water bottle, utility, commander's pouch and more.

Usage of privately purchased webbing, whether based on or customised PLCE or with MOLLE compatibility, also remains a very common item. 'Airborne' webbing, which is a single unit webbing set of multiple pouches sewn or stitched directly onto a foam hip pad is favoured among soldiers for its comfort, stability and durability.

Personal Load Carrying Equipment (PLCE), officially known as 95 Pattern Webbing, is an older webbing system issued temporarily solely for training purposes during phase 1 'basic' training for non-infantry recruits, to carry ammunition, food and water, protective equipment, and other individual supplies. The webbing consists of a belt, a yoke harness, and various belt pouches. The system also consists of two daysacks (backpacks) for use with the Combat Order; these can be attached to a larger 'Bergen' rucksack for use with the Marching Order. The Osprey body armour and webbing series, the later Virtus scalable tactical vest and webbing, and various items associated with either system such as daysacks all feature MOLLE loops for direct attachment of load carrying pouches, thus obviating the need for and mostly supplanting the earlier PLCE webbing.

PLCE sets have previously been manufactured in the newer MTP camouflage pattern, and both this webbing and earlier DPM webbing (due to the quantity of webbing produced and the durability of its construction and materials, and soldiers personal preference) continues to see occasional usage, particularly during training situations which often see soldiers either wearing the non-MOLLE Enhanced Combat Body Armour vest or wearing no armour at all.

Regardless of the particular load carrying system used by any given soldier, Army doctrine prescribes that it should be capable of holding everything that a soldier needs to operate in the field for up to 24 hours without resupply in Fighting Order, for up to 48 hours without resupply in Patrol Order and for up to two weeks without resupply in Marching Order..

Vehicles

Combat vehicles

Protected patrol vehicles

Artillery and Air-Defence

Engineering and logistics

Explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and CBRN reconnaissance

MITER vehicle fleet

The job of the Royal Engineers is to restrict the enemy's ability to advance, while also allowing friendly combat forces the freedom to maneuver as necessary. Other tasks undertaken are bomb disposal, construction of fortifications, runways, roads and bridges and the improvement of existing infrastructure to support operations – such as improving existing roads for logistic convoys. To achieve this, they operate a large and diverse fleet of vehicles.

In August 2020, AmeyBriggs (new joint venture between Amey plc and Briggs Defence) was awarded a seven year, £240m contract to maintain, manage and support the British Army's fleet of earth-moving, engineer construction and mechanical handling capabilities. The C-vehicle Capability, Defence Mechanical Handling Equipment (DMHE), and Protected Engineering Equipment contracts now form part of the new consolidated MITER contract.

AmeyBriggs now provides the British Army with a wide range of earthmoving, construction and materials handling/lifting equipment to support their worldwide training and operational requirements.

In recent years the equipment, which includes excavators, bulldozers, dump trucks, concrete mixers, tractors, lighting towers, forklift trucks and cranes, has been used to help with recovery following the devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Dorian in the Caribbean, during major flooding incidents in the UK and supporting the military response to COVID-19 by loading and off-loading vital medical supplies.

All-terrain vehicles

There are a number of all-terrain vehicles in service with the British Army.

The Supacat ATMP is a lightweight 6×6 used by 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team. It can carry up to 8 troops with a standard NATO pallet of stores and ammunition.

Approximately 900 Grizzly 450 quad bikes are used as light transport for food, water and ammunition to the front line in difficult to access areas or where larger vehicles are not suitable, effectively moving alongside dismounted troops. They also have the ability to evacuate two casualties at a time, thereby speeding up emergency aid.

United Kingdom Special Forces

In 2001, 65 Supacat High Mobility Transporter (HMT) 400 vehicles were ordered under Project Minacity after being in development since the late 1990s. The Minacity vehicles entered service in 2003 in Afghanistan. In 2007, the Ministry of Defence ordered the HMT 400 for regular forces, designated as the Jackal.

In 2008, 24 Australian Bushmaster armoured vehicles were purchased for the UKSF for operations in Iraq. The Bushmasters were fitted with additional armour, counter-IED electronics, and a .50 calibre machine gun mounted in a RWS.

In August 2016, BBC News reported that the Toyota Land Cruiser-based Jankel Al-Thalab long range patrol vehicle was being used in Syria.

Aircraft

Watercraft

Raiding Craft

The Rigid Raider is used by the Royal Engineers and is sometimes used in rivers and during amphibious operations, while the Inflatable Raiding Craft, being small and flexible, is also utilised by the Army at times, as a raiding craft to get soldiers quickly across water in small groups, and in other tasks such as flood relief.

SAS Boat Troops also utilise these raiding craft, Boat Troop's role covers many aspects of amphibious warfare, although the emphasis is on amphibious insertion/extraction, and demolitions, including attacking ships in harbours with magnetic limpet mines.

Army Workboat

Four boats in service, operated by 17 Port and Maritime Regiment and 165 Port and Maritime Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps as small tugs and general purpose work-boats in support of amphibious operations. They have a displacement of 48 tonnes and a maximum speed of 10 knots. The Army Workboat can be used as tugs for Mexeflotes, positioning other pontoon equipment and for handling flexible pipelines. It is also used for assisting with firefighting and the provision of fuel (i.e. fuel being delivered across water.).

Mexeflote

Mexeflotes are amphibious landing craft operated by 17 Port and Maritime Regiment and 165 Port and Maritime Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps for amphibious operations and are designed to deliver both armoured vehicles and material from ship to shore. They are usually deployed on the 16,160 tonne Bay-class landing ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Mexeflote is a powered raft (two diesel engines), used to move goods and vehicles between ship and shore when a pier is not available.

Combat Support Boat

Both the Royal Engineers and 17 Port and Maritime Regiment and 165 Port and Maritime Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps also make use of the Combat Support Boat since it is capable of being used to support bridging and amphibious operations as well as inland water patrolling and ship-to-shore resupply (it can carry 2 tonnes of cargo or 12 personnel) and diving operations. It is also relatively quick, with a top speed of 30 knots.

Future equipment

The British Army's Mobile Fires Platform (MFP) programme looks to replace the legacy AS90 with a new 155mm self-propelled howitzer to equip the Royal Artillery. On 24 April 2024, the UK announced its selection of the RCH-155 for the British Army's Mobile Fires Platform programme, as a successor for the AS-90. The vehicles will be built in both Germany and the UK and will comprise over 100 UK-sourced components. The platform will consist of the Remote-Controlled Howitzer 155mm (RCH 155) weapon module fitted to the rear half of the Boxer mechanised infantry vehicle (MIV) and will be in service with the Royal Artillery by the end of the decade.

Project Serpens will replace the Mobile Artillery Monitoring Battlefield Radar (MAMBA), Advanced Sound-ranging Post (ASP) and Counter-battery radar, all which will reach their out-out-service date in 2026.

The Ministry of Defence selected the Rheinmetall Mission Master SP for it's Robotic Platoon Vehicles program in 2022. The British Army ordered the Surveillance Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle (A-UGV) in two variants; four in an ISTAR configuration, and three in a cargo configuration.

The Parachute Regiment began trialling the Sur-Ron Firefly electric motorcycle in 2021, "for recce, infiltration, but also for communications between positions where you need to pass messages on the man, like we’ve done for hundreds of years, but in a situation where electronic communication is jammed or intercepted.”

In March 2023, the first ever UK trial of heavy uncrewed ground systems (H-UGVs) took place. Held over two weeks at the Armoured Trials and Development Unit in Bovington, Dorset, the H-UGVs underwent stringent trials to test their effectiveness in battlefield situations. The trial saw three companies selected to take part to showcase their platforms: Elbit with its Robust, Milrem and its Type X, and Rheinmetall with its Wiesel.

In March 2023, the 2nd Battalion, Royal Yorkshire Regiment trialled working with the Thermal Clip-On Sight, known as TCOS, which is mounted on their helmet. This allows infantry soldiers to see a combined thermal and night vision picture while undertaking activities rather than having to stop and look through a weapon sight.

The Hydra 400 jet-propelled drone, which provides a maximum lift of 400 kg and fires Brimstone laser-guided missiles, was showcased at DSEI 2023, and will be tested during the next phase of the Army’s Warfighting Experiment (AWE).

At DSEI 2023, Raytheon UK announced that it's high-energy laser weapon system, a product of the MoD’s Land Demonstrator programme, is operationally ready and will be integrated onto a Wolfhound vehicle for testing in October 2023. The 15-kilowatt laser will be used to stop aerial threats such as unmanned aerial vehicles.

The British Army's future "broadband for the battlefield" is the Trinity Wide Area Network (WAN). Trinity, which is to be in service by late 2025, will be able to "handle 100 times more data than the current Falcon internet system", due to be retired by 2026. The Army also plans to fit Trinity nodes to the Boxer armoured vehicle.

The British Army is considering procuring a new mobile short-range air defence (SHORAD) system on an interim basis to replace the Stormer-based Starstreak High Velocity Missile systems that were provided to Ukraine in 2022.

Project Grayburn is the replacement project for the SA80, expected to be delivered in 2026. The current Out of Service Date (OSD) for the SA80 rifle is 2030. The new weapon system will consist of a rifle using a common lower receiver group and a variable upper receiver group based on role, likely of a conventional layout rather than a bullpup, with up to four variants.

References

External links

"The British Army: Vehicles and Equipment". Ministry of Defence.
"Army Index". Armed Forces.co.uk.
"British Special Forces & Elite Units". Elite UK Forces.

Text submitted to CC-BY-SA license. Source: List of equipment of the British Army by Wikipedia (Historical)

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