A PEMBROKESHIRE military base has been described as one of the most important in the UK by the British Army.

Castlemartin – the largest live-firing range in the UK - recently held soldiers from the King’s Royal Hussars (KRH) who carried out live-firing and tactical battlegroup-level exercises involving multiple armoured fighting vehicles (AFV).

Captain William Howlett, intelligence officer for the KRH, said: “We’ve got quite a number of junior soldiers who have not been to Castlemartin before to conduct this kind of activity, which is a core part of our training, and which is why west Wales is very well known to the unit.

“As a tank regiment our function is to conduct shock action against the enemy to punch through their defences and formations.

“The soldiers have been practicing all of that with shooting static and moving targets, day and night, with multiple tanks firing up and down the ranges.”

Western Telegraph: Castlemartin is the largest active firing range in the UK.Castlemartin is the largest active firing range in the UK. (Image: MOD)

Major John Poole, Pembrokeshire senior training safety officer for UK Defence Training Estate, Wales and West Midlands, said: “As the Army has been moving quickly into Operation Mobilise, it is the most vital field firing area that can facilitate zero to hero training for all-arms battlegroups preparing for operations.

“Castlemartin supplies the ability for units to start at a very basic level of training and carry out mandated operational training objectives.

"Over several weeks, they progress to the highest required standard, having live fired their weapon systems and been tested as fit to deploy on all arms operations.”

Castlemartin has been in use since 1938, when it was requisitioned by the War Office. It has been in constant use by the British Army but has also been home to the RAF and Navy to make use of the ranges.

The German Army also used the 20,000-hectare estate’s ranges between 1956 and 1996.

Major Poole continued: “Unlike Lulworth, where officers and soldiers are trained to become armoured fighting vehicle crewmen, Castlemartin supports the continuation training of AFV crews to keep them at the high standard required to deploy on operations worldwide.

“The range is in use 44 weeks a year with battlegroups carrying out firing cams for up to six weeks at a time.

“This is pivotal training and takes the officers and soldiers from a base level, up to integrated firing with Challenger 2, Warrior AFVs, Royal Artillery, dismounted infantry and all the other elements of a battlegroup.”

Western Telegraph: It is described as being a great area to carry out a range of exercises.It is described as being a great area to carry out a range of exercises. (Image: MOD)

Castlemartin has recently had an increase in investment, with new accommodation blocks, a new range tower and down-range targetry.

The KRH currently leads a battlegroup on Exercise Iron Cyclone on the ranges at Castlemartin, streamlining the approach of integrating training packages for the benefit of advancing junior soldiers.

Captain Howlett said: “The size and width of the arcs we have at Castlemartin make it the best range for armoured fighting training, anywhere in the UK, taking into account the number of weapon systems, the number of platforms and allowing a progression of training to get our troops up to the competency levels they need to be.”

The Challenger 2 Tank squadrons have been training with a Warrior Armoured Infantry Company from 1st Battalion the Mercian Regiment, with support from an armoured engineer squadron from 26 Engineer Regiment and an artillery battery from 127 Battery Royal Artillery.