The Italian soldiers of the NATO Battle Group, employed in the enhanced Vigilance Activity operation, concluded the “Ardent Ground” exercise, aimed at increasing the ability to use artillery and, more generally, indirect firearms.
The Battle Group, deployed on the south-eastern flank of the Atlantic Alliance, as well as the Alpini of the “Julia” Brigade, is made up of Croatian, American and Hungarian soldiers who have been working side by side for months in what is called a “training progression””, consisting of different phases and which gradually sees an increase in the intensity and military capabilities to defend the Euro-Atlantic spaces.
In the Hungarian firing range of Vezprem-Varpalota, Italian heavy mortar units of the 8th Alpine Regiment and a section of FH70 howitzers of the 3rd Mountain Land Artillery Regiment, supported by the Joint Fire Support Element (JFSE), tested new procedures for the use of indirect firing weapons, in support of infantry and cavalry units deployed on the ground.
The assigned missions involved the simultaneous and coordinated use of the mortar platoon and the artillery section, to suppress enemy anti-aircraft and create a security framework for air intervention on a highly profitable ground objective, the so-called High Payoff Target (HPT).
Of particular importance was the intervention of the artillery that was able to test both the “shooting with conjugated trajectories” and the “direct shooting”. In the first case, these are two sequential shots with different shooting angles and launch charges, spaced only a few seconds apart, which provide for the simultaneous arrival of shots on the target, thus making the shot as effective as possible. In the second case, however, it is a “zero raise shooting”, generally used for a possible counter-tank action at short minimums.
The conduct of these activities, in addition to increasing the training level of the personnel employed, improves the integration between the different NATO assets in operation and interoperability with fixed or rotary wing assets, ensuring better protection of friendly forces deployed on the battlefield.”
The JFSE, composed entirely of Italian personnel and framed within the international Battle Group, is the nucleus intended for the management and coordination of all indirect fire units, including: the Surveillance and Visual Objective Acquisition (SAOV) nuclei, the Fires Support Team (FST), the command posts and the units that deliver fire and the assets of the third dimension, managed by the Tactical Air Control Party (TACP).
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