Active 1939 – present Branch British Army | Allegiance United Kingdom Size 5 Batteries | |
Role Mini-Unmanned Aerial Systems (MUAS) Part of 1st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade | ||
32 Regiment Royal Artillery ("The Wessex Gunners") is a Regiment in the Royal Artillery, part of the British Army and is equipped with the Lockheed Martin Desert Hawk III mini unmanned aerial vehicle (MUAS). 32nd Regiment is one of two Royal Artillery units that operate UAV systems (the other being 47th Regiment) and along with 5th Regiment RA they provide an integrated tactical and strategic intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability. As part of Force Troops Command, under the immediate command of 1 Intelligence & Surveillance Brigade (1ISR), 32nd Regiment supports the Reactive Force elements of the British Army. It provides dedicated MUAS capability to 1, 12 & 20 Armoured Brigades, operating from the Bulldog armoured vehicle, and also supports 16 Air Assault Brigade. In December 2016 it was announced that when DH3 is withdrawn from service in 2021 the Regiment will be disbanded and its personnel be redistributed to other parts of the British Army.
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History
The 32nd Field Artillery Regiment was in the British Expeditionary Force in France at the start of the Second World War. In 1947, the 32nd Regimental Headquarters (RHQ) was retitled as the 45th Field Regiment and the 7th Medium Regiment RHQ was retitled as the 32nd.
In 1966, the regiment became a Heavy Regiment with M107 self-propelled 175 mm Guns. In 1972, it became a light Regiment, equipped with 105mm Light Guns; then, in 1978, a Guided Missile Regiment equipped with Swingfire.
In 1985, it became a heavy regiment again with M107 guns. During the Gulf War, the regiment was equipped with M110 SP 203mm Howitzers and served as part of the Divisional Artillery Group supporting the 1st Armoured Division.
Batteries
The Regiment currently comprises of the following Batteries: