The final group of soldiers from 32 Regiment Royal Artillery will be returning to Salisbury Plain after successful six-month deployments in both Iraq and Afghanistan on Monday 4 May. They will be greeted by their families and friends at their home base at Roberts Barracks in Larkhill.

They have spent the last six months flying Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) in support of operations both in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Battery forms the Theatre UAV Battery when on operations and flies the Hermes 450 UAV, a pilotless surveillance aircraft providing day and night surveillance.

The Battery Commander, Major Nat Webber, said, “This last tour has been extremely successful; we have developed our tactics significantly and have had a very obvious effect on the enemy. Most importantly my soldiers, and the aircraft they fly, have been saving UK and coalition lives on a daily basis.”

The Battery now looks forward to some well-earned leave before returning to work in June and starting training on Watchkeeper, the British Army’s new Tactical UAV due into service next year.