RAA Liaison Letter – 2025 / 2026 Edition 81 expanded its abilities to rapidly integrate within Australian Air and Naval platforms through both Sydney Sea Trials in October and training with AMDTU. 54 Battery also worked with our US partners during Operation Kenney Strikes Back. OP Kenney was the culmination of 54 Siege Battery’s efforts throughout 2025, with force projection activities being conducted in a highly complex environment with a wide variety of stakeholders that leveraged and tested the skills of every member within the unit. The first two HIMARS are delivered by a Royal Australian Air Force C-17A in March Exercise Ajax in October and November saw the first ever HIMARS loading and unloading testing on the flagship Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD), HMAS Canberra. Although the Navy was less than enthusiastic about the prospect of firing rockets from their decks, this event signified a decisive point in the Regiment’s road map to success. Joint domain integration is integral to the effective employment of these platforms, with the continuation of the relationships built with both domestic and foreign partners being vital to the Unit’s successes, current and future. The 14th Regiment saw these relationships actively built upon and solidified throughout training exercises in 2025, none being a better example than Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025. HIMARS operating on board an LHD Land Craft in Sydney Harbour. Exercise Talisman Sabre: Alliances, Interoperability and the First Australian PrSM Now in its eleventh iteration, Ex Talisman Sabre got its biggest show yet in 2025. 54 Siege Battery conducted two live fire events within four months of equipment delivery, which further demonstrated the professionalism and capabilities of the soldiers of the unit. ‘A’ Troop conducted the Combined Joint LFX in Shoalwater Bay with US and Singaporean partners. This represented the first Australian live fire of HIMARS. Not be outdone, their friends (rivals) in ‘B’ Troop fired the first Australian Precision Strike Missile from Mount Bundey Training Area and destroyed a target over 300 kilometres away. This represented a colossal leap from Australia’s previous long-range strike range of 30 kilometres. Interested bystanders observe 54 Siege Battery fire supremacy during Exercise Talisman Sabre Demonstrations of Capability As a brand-new capability within the ADF, 54 Siege Battery became leaders in the art of the dog and pony show. Events such as the ADFA Open Day, Avalon Air Show, Sea Power Exhibition and numerous visits from a wide array of star ranking officers provided opportunities for the unit and its members to ‘show off’ the newly introduced HIMARS and provide important context to key stakeholders and social media stars for the capability’s future employment, challenges and opportunities.
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