The British Army's 1st Artillery Brigade and Headquarters South West is a formation under Force Troops Command that has control over close support artillery units within the British Army and is the Regional Point of Command (RPoC) for British Army units in the South West Region.
The current brigade was formed on 1 September 2014 under the Army 2020 plan, merging units and personnel of 43 (Wessex) Brigade with Royal Artillery regiments. The brigade's mission will include commanding, preparing and generating assigned deployable forces. The brigade comprises a large number of units including 1 Royal Horse Artillery and 19 Regiment Royal Artillery and 15 garrisons and stations across the south west.
Previously, news articles reported that its personnel had control over the testing the Watchkeeper Remotely Piloted Aerial System. There was also a 1st Artillery Brigade under the I British Corps during the Cold War.
The brigade consists of the following units:
1st Artillery Brigade and Headquarters South West in Tidworth
1st Regiment Royal Horse Artillery in Larkhill with AS-90 155mm self-propelled howitzers (provides offensive joint fire support to 1st Armoured Infantry Brigade)
19 Regiment Royal Artillery in Larkhill with AS-90 155mm self-propelled howitzers(provides offensive joint fire support to 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade)
26 Regiment Royal Artillery in Larkhill with GMLRS multiple rocket launchers (provides offensive joint fire support to 3 (UK) Division)
101 (Northumbrian) Regiment Royal Artillery in Gateshead (Army Reserve - paired with 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery and 26 Regiment, to be reserve divisional fires regiment.
3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery in Albemarle with L118 105mm towed howitzers, these will be withdrawn and the regiment will comprise artillery fire observers, joint terminal attack controllers, intelligence, surveillance, targeting, acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) operators, and fire-planning staff.
105 Regiment Royal Artillery in Edinburgh (Army Reserve - paired with 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery) with L118 105mm towed howitzers
4th Regiment Royal Artillery in Topcliffe with L118 105mm towed howitzers, these will be withdrawn and the regiment will comprise artillery fire observers, joint terminal attack controllers, intelligence, surveillance, targeting, acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) operators, and fire-planning staff.
103 (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery in St Helens (Army Reserve - paired with 4th Regiment Royal Artillery) with L118 105mm towed howitzers
104 Regiment Royal Artillery with L118 105mm towed howitzers, transferring from 1st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade in 2017
The 1st Artillery Brigade also has administrative control over the units in the Joint Ground-Based Air Defence Command.
