16th Air Defence Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery
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| 16th Air Defence Regiment | |
|---|---|
 A RBS-70 team from the 16th Air Defence Regiment during an exercise in 2001. |
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| Active | 2 July 1969–Present |
| Country | Australia |
| Allegiance |  Australia |
| Branch | Australian Army |
| Role | Air Defence |
| Part of | 6th Brigade |
| Garrison/HQ | Woodside, South Australia |
| Battle honours | Nil |
The 16th Air Defence Regiment is the youngest regiment of the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery. As the Australian Defence Force's only Ground Based Air Defence unit the Regiment is responsible for protecting a wide range of military assets during wartime, ranging from Army units in the field to providing point defence to the Royal Australian Navy's support ships and air defence to Royal Australian Air Force air bases. Prior to being equipped with the currently used RBS-70 missiles, the Regiment was equipped with the Rapier systems for 25 years. The Regiment is based at Woodside, South Australia, but frequently deploys with other Australian and allied units on operations and defence exercises. It is part of 6th Brigade.
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[edit] History
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On 2 July 1969 111 LAA Battery and 110 LAA Battery were grouped to become the 16th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment. The Regiment was initially equipped with the QF 40 mm Mark XII anti-aircraft gun. The Bofors were replaced with the Redeye surface to air missiles in 1973, and the Rapier was introduced in 1982 with 110 AD Battery. In 1987 the Redeye was replaced with the RBS-70, and in 2005 110 AD Battery replaced Rapier with RBS-70.[1] In 1991 the Regiment sent detachments aboard HMAS Success and Westralia as part of Australia's contribution to the Persian Gulf War. In May 2003 the Regiment again deployed a detachment in support of the Royal Australian Navy when a detachment was sent on board HMAS Kanimbla during the invasion of Iraq.[1] The Regiment has also deployed soldiers as infantry to Timor Leste.[2] On 1 March 2010, 16th Air Defence Regiment became part of the re-raised 6th Brigade.[3]
[edit] Structure
- Headquarters Battery
- 110th Air Defence Battery
- 111th Air Defence Battery
- Technical Support Battery
Each firing Battery is equipped with 15 fire systems and five target search radars.
The regiment also houses a training centre equipped with simulators. On 4 December 2009 The Hon. Greg Combet AM MP, Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science, announced that one simulator will receive an upgrade which will “...include a dome display system. This unique system consists of an array of commercial video projectors that project multiple images into one panoramic view.”, with work to be completed in February 2011.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b See https://aadaa.asn.au/Unit%20History.html.
- ^ See http://www.defence.gov.au/opex/global/opastute/index.htm.
- ^ Gaze, Jillian (18 March 2010). "Key to Adaptability". Army (Australian Army). http://digital.realviewtechnologies.com/default.aspx?xml=defencenews_army.xml. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
