4th Field Regiment (SVN) Association Newsletter No 59 - 2025

arrival in South Vietnam on 20 August 1970 my feet felt the burning tarmac at Ton So Nhut airport while my eyes and ears registered the sensation of war. To this day, I can honestly say that what I saw and heard there in those first few minutes will stay with me forever. The din was unbelievable, and the military aircraft, vehicles and soldiers moving around so urgently only contributed to my overall impression of "So this is what a war is like!". Before 30 minutes had passed we were all hustled into a caribou for our short trip down to Nui Dat. Here the loadmaster excelled himself by saying "Listen up. If the alarm bell should go off, brace yourselves and prepare for an emergency landing". End of speech. Twenty-five minutes into our flight the alarm bells started clanging. My bowels started gurgling. The loadmaster made himself urgent and began moving up and down the walkway as though he was readying everything for anything. The Caribou wheeled to the left and started falling quickly, and continued its decent until a bump and bounce told us that we were on a runway and not ten feet nose first into the deck. I could only stare at the loadmaster as he laughed and hurried everyone off the plane. 'Fuck him' was my final thought on the whole episode.” To be continued. Items of Interest A futuristic laser – with limitless ammunition – has for the first time been unleashed on British soil. British Army soldiers from 16 Royal Artillery have carried out the ‘ground- breaking’ test at Radnor Range in central Wales earlier this week. Mounted on top of a Wolfhound, a protecte d troop-carrying vehicle, the unnamed weapon destroyed all hovering drones, serving as a warning to Britain’s enemies. A single blast is capable of zapping targets out of the sky within seconds, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. The laser works by directing an intense beam of infra-red light in the form of energy towards its target using advanced sensors and tracking systems which maintain lock-on and accuracy in real time. Unlike conventional munitions, laser weapons are virtually limitless when it comes to ammunition supply, making them much cheaper. Every engagement we have done has removed a drone from the sky,’ said warrant officer Matthew Anderson, from the British Army’s Mounted Close Combat Trials and Development Group. ‘While we have been testing a variety of distances, speeds and altitudes, one thing has remained – how quick a drone can be taken out. ‘It is definitely a capability that could be added to the arsenal of weapons that we use on the battlefield.’ Stephen Waller, from the MoD’s Defence Equipment and Support agency, said drones are being used more often in battle – as seen during Russia’s bloodshed of Ukraine. He confirmed that the lasers would give UK soldiers a ‘better operational advantage’ on the battlefield. Minister for Defence Procurement Maria Eagle said the technology shows Britain’s commitment to staying at the forefront of military innovation. She said: ‘The successful testing of this laser weapon system represents a significant step forward in our development of possible future defence capabilities and showcases British engineering excellence.’ Remote Controlled Howitzer The UK and Germany have unveiled plans to jointly develop the Remote-Controlled Howitzer 155mm Wheeled Artillery System (RCH 155), which will be mounted on Boxer armoured vehicles. This announcement was made during a meeting between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin. The new-built artillery systems will be constructed in both the UK and Germany, promising to bolster job creation and strengthen the defence manufacturing sectors of both nations, according to the Ministry of Defence.