Members of 7 PARA RHA on Exercise CYPHER BAYONET, September 2013.

Infantry masterclass for airborne gunners.

 From crossing rivers to setting ambushes, an exercise has sharpened the soldiering skills of 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery (7 Para RHA).

Exercise CYPHER BAYONET has seen the Colchester-based gunners show their ability to perform as infantry soldiers as well as their core artillery role. The week long training, at Stanford Training Area (STANTA) in Norfolk, has seen troops practise manoeuvring across hostile countryside and living in the field for prolonged periods.

7 Para RHA’s main commitment is to provide a gun battery at high readiness to deploy for operations from disaster relief to war fighting as part of 16 Air Assault Brigade, the British Army’s rapid reaction force.

Lieutenant Colonel Will Lynch, Commanding Officer of 7 Para RHA, said: “The ethos of the Army is that of soldier first and specialist skills and capabilities are secondary. Our role within 16 Air Assault Brigade places even more emphasis on the need for our gunners to be adaptable and self-reliant soldiers who are able to do whatever role is asked of them.

“This has been a demanding exercise that has challenged our soldiers to use skills that they may not have thought about since learning them in basic training.”