5th Regiment Royal Artillery 5th Regiment Royal Artillery is a regiment of the Royal Artillery in the British Army . It currently serves in the Surveillance and Target Acquisition role and is equipped with radars and acoustic sound ranging equipment ; it also provides Special Observation Post teams . Formation . The regiment was formed as 5th Regiment Royal Horse Artillery on 25 November 1939 at Wotton - under - Edge , Gloucestershire and consisted of K Battery ( the Riding Troop at St John ' s Wood ) and G Battery ( Mercers Troop ) , RHA ( from 4th RHA ) . In 1940 , the regiment formed part of the British Expeditionary Force to France ; after Dunkirk it moved to North Africa , where it joined 7th Armoured Division . Along with 7th Armoured Division , the regiment fought throughout the Western Desert and , for a limited period , took part in the Italian Campaign . On return to the UK in early 1944 , it took part in the Normandy landings and fought in Northwest Europe to VE Day . In 1946 , CC Battery became C Battery . Reorganisation . Because of the reorganisation of the Royal Horse Artillery in 1958 , the regiment became the 5th Field Regiment RA . On 1 February 1958 , C Battery moved to 3rd RHA and G Battery ( Mercer ' s Troop ) moved to 4th RHA . P Battery ( The Dragon Troop ) left 4th RHA and Q ( Sanna ' s Post ) Battery moved from 10th Field Regiment on 5 February 1958 to join K Battery and form the regiment . After a short period near Crickhowell , the regiment left the UK in September 1958 for a 3 - year tour of Hong Kong . After an enjoyable tour equipped with 25 lb guns , the regiment returned to Salisbury Plain in Southern England in October 1961 as 5 Light Regiment RA . The Sixties . During its stay at Perham Down , the regiment had many equipment changes . In 1961 , K Battery had 5 . 5 " guns , while P and Q Batteries were equipped with 25 pdrs ; then , in 1962 , all batteries were allotted 4 . 2 " mortars as well as other guns . In 1963 , the regiment converted to 105mm Pack Howitzers and took part in exercises in Libya , Canada and Norway with this versatile new gun . In August / September 1964 , the regiment moved to the British Army of the Rhine ( BAOR ) in Germany , reverted to its title of 5th Field Regiment RA and was stationed in Gutersloh as a Close Support Regiment . Once again K Battery had 5 . 5 " guns and P and Q Batteries 25 pounders , but these later gave way to the Abbot Self Propelled ( SP ) gun in 1966 . In 1968 , the regiment again exercised in Libya , and shortly afterwards the south of France . Sports - wise , skiing and hockey featured as the major successful sports before the regiment returned to Southern England in 1969 , this time to Bulford . The regiment now formed part of 3rd Division and the Strategic Reserve . The Seventies . The next three years at Bulford were dominated by four emergency tours of Northern Ireland ( NI ) . The regiment was mostly operating in the Londonderry area and had 3 fatalities from terrorist actions . At this time , the regiment was equipped with the 105mm pack howitzer ( towed by Landrover ) and served in the light airborne role . In 1972 , the regiment moved to Hildesheim , Germany and re - equipped with M107 SP 175mm Guns ; and again changed its name to 5th Heavy Regiment RA . 18 Battery joined the regiment in February 1977 following the disbandment of 42 Regiment RA . The Eighties . After 12 years at Tofrek Barracks in Hildesheim , the regiment moved to West Riding Barracks in Dortmund in 1984 . 18 ( Quebec 1759 ) Battery and Q ( Sanna ' s Post ) Battery ( which was renamed as 74 Battery ( the Battle - Axe Company ) ) left the regiment to join 32 Heavy Regiment RA . 73 ( Sphinx ) Locating Battery moved from 94 Locating Regiment to 5th Regiment in January 1985 and was renamed Q ( Sanna ' s Post ) Battery . During this period , the Gun Batteries both carried out operational tours of Northern Ireland . The Nineties . On 2 November 1990 , 73 ( Sphinx ) Battery was formed as an Observation Battery from the OP Troops of 5 and 32 Regiments . In 1991 , many of the soldiers were attached to 32 Regiment RA for Operation Granby , the Gulf War . K ( Hondeghem ) Battery was attached to 18 ( Quebec 1759 ) Battery and P Battery ( The Dragon Troop ) was attached to 74 Battery ( The Battle - Axe Company ) . In addition , several soldiers went with 40 Regiment RA earlier in the operation . 73 ( Sphinx ) OP Battery joined the 16 / 5th Lancers and was organised into two Forward Air Control parties , one Tactical Air Command Post and five Armoured Mobile OPs . After Operation Granby , the regiment converted from the M107 SP Gun to the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System ( MLRS ) . The regiment carried out several dry and live firing exercised on Hohne Ranges . On 1 April 1993 , 73 ( Sphinx ) OP Battery became 4 / 73 ( Sphinx ) Special OP Battery . On 1 May 1993 , Q ( Sanna ' s Post ) Battery amalgamated with the regiment ' s Headquarters Battery to become Q ( Sanna ' s Post ) Headquarters Battery . The majority of the locating troops in Q Battery were posted to other locating units within the Royal Regiment . In late 1993 , the regiment carried out a Regimental Arms Plot from Dortmund to Catterick in North Yorkshire . After nearly nine months of unsettled transit period working in Towthorpe line , Strensall , near York , the regiment moved into the former RAF Catterick Barracks , now renamed Marne Barracks after the Battle of the Marne , alongside the A1 . At the time , it was co - located with the Regiment ' s Artillery Support Unit , 8 ( Artillery Support ) Regiment , RLC . That regiment has now moved on and the barracks are currently shared with 1st Bn , The Mercian Regiment . In October 1994 , the regiment redeployed to Northern Ireland ; this time to South Armagh as the Drumadd Roulement Battalion ( DRB ) . K Battery was deployed to Bessbrook with P Battery being deployed in both Keady and Middletown ; the tour was cut short by 3 weeks due to the IRA cease - fire . On their return to Catterick , the regiment was busy carrying out its primary role training in addition to supplying soldiers to man a permanent special OP Patrol to Bosnia and various overseas exercises . In early 1996 , the regiment was called upon to assist the Derbyshire civil authorities during a fire - fighters dispute ( Op FRESCO ) , a commitment led by K ( Hondeghem ) Battery . In addition , the regiment supplied soldiers to 3 RHA for an operational tour of Northern Ireland . On 1 April 1997 , the regiment rejoined 1st Artillery Brigade on its reformation as an operational element of the UK ' s framework nation commitment to Allied Rapid Reaction Corps ( ARRC ) . At the same time , 4 / 73 Battery was formally committed to the Joint Rapid Deployment Force ( JRDF ) . The battery ' s commitment to the JRDF was to maintain six patrols and a command and control element ready to deploy worldwide with the Force at short notice . On 10 June 1997 , the regiment , less 4 / 73 Battery , deployed to Cyprus on Operation TOSCA . Taking over responsibility for Sector 2 of UNFICYP from 32nd Regiment RA . Soldiers from 1 RHA , 3 RHA , 32 Regt RA , 1 DWR , 1 RRW , 9 Parachute Squadron RE and soldiers from the TA reinforced the Regiment for the tour . Sector 2 covered the UN Buffer Zone in the area of Nicosia . P Battery deployed as Line Battery West and K Battery as Line Battery East . The tour was a great success and the regiment returned to Catterick on 10 December 1997 . Re - roling . Following a period of leave , the regiment returned to work in mid - January 1998 and immediately started the preparations for the re - roling . Because of a decision to transfer MLRS to the TA , it was decided that 5th Regiment would re - role from MLRS / OP to become a Surveillance and Target Acquisition ( STA ) Regiment . The regiment would also assume responsibility for the provision of the Headquarters Force Artillery ( HQ Force Arty ) for the Allied Command Europe Mobile Force ( Land ) ( AMF ( L ) ) . The re - roling took effect as of 1 April 1998 and 5th Regiment consisted of one Special OP Battery ( 4 / 73 ) , two Weapon Locating Batteries ( K and P ) equipped initially with Cymbeline Radar and Hostile Artillery Locating equipment ( HALO ) . The Radar Troops came from 1 RHA , in Tidworth , 3 RHA , in Topcliffe , 4 Regt RA , in Osnabruck , 26 Regt RA in Gutersloh and 40 Regt RA in Hohne . The Sound Ranging Troops came from 32 Regt RA , in Larkhill and 39 Regt RA , in Newcastle . The Headquarters Battery ( Q ) that provides a Headquarters for both the regiment in its STA role and the AMF ( L ) . The Force Artillery AMF ( L ) role was lost in 2002 . The regiment is now equipped with COBRA ( Counter Battery Battery Radar ) MAMBA ( Mobile Artillery Monitoring Battlefield Radar ) LCMR ( Lightweight Counter Mortar Radar ) and ASP ( Advanced Sound ranging Programme ) . Elitism . 4 / 73 Battery is an elite unit formed in 1982 to provide commanders with crucial battlefield intelligence on enemy positions . Members of this battery are volunteers who have passed a 20 week Special Observer Patrols Course . Whilst most gunners wear a dark blue beret , since 2008 soldiers of 4 / 73 Battery have changed to a khaki beret to mark the close working relationship of the battery with the Honourable Artillery Company . Soldiers within the battery that have passed the 20 week STA Patrol Training selection course also wear the Special Observers badge on their arm as displayed on the right . Recent operations . Due to its unique capability , 5th Regiment RA does not deploy as a regiment ; instead the sub - units take turns to support the deployed brigade . Likewise , 4 / 73 ( Sphinx ) Battery constantly supplies Fire Support Teams ( FSTs ) to Op Herrick on a rotational basis . To date , 5th Regiment RA has had troops deployed into Operational Theatres in one form or another since 2003 .