Banner
Royal Australian Artillery
Historical Company
ENewsletter Edition No 45

September  2020
AIRBURST
Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company Newsletter
In This Issue
Welcome to Airburst No 45 September 2020
150th Anniversary of Australian Artillery
30 K9 155mm Howitzers for Australian Army
Did You Know?
Gunners Around the Nation & the World
Featured Article
Artillery Badge Rotating
 


 
 

Quick Links

Membership
Are you a member of the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company?    If not then visit our website, view membership details and benefits and  join us today!
Memorial Walk Pavers 
Paver Ad 
Become a part of history by purchsing your Australia's Memorial Walk paver today.   For more informaion view website.
Army Newspaper                 
Australian Army Journal        
QR Code            
Publicise Your Upcoming Event
Are you a member of an Artillery association? Does your association have an upcoming event? Want to publicise it to a wider audience for free? Contact the Editor for further details.
Subscribe
 
Forward to a Friend                   

 

               

  
Like us on Facebook
               


 

Like us on Facebook           

  
Dear Gunners (Readers) - 

Welcome to Airburst  No 45 September 2020 


ROYAL AUSTRALIAN ARTILLERY HISTORICAL COMPANY  ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Notice is hereby given of the 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company to be held at: RMC Officers Mess Campbell 2612 Canberra ACT on Saturday 7th November 2019 commencing at 1030 hours.

I hope members will be able to attend. Documents for the AGM will be progressively posted on the RAAHC website Click Here .

I hope that you have all survived the Covid as the country slowly gets back to normal. Victoria looks like taking a mite longer.

2020 will provide the RAAHC with some challenges. First among these is the future of Cannonball. As many of you know the RAA Liaison Letter  (RAALL) and Cannonball have been produced as one journal since 2012. Head of Regiment (HoR), Brigadier Richard Bragg, has written to me to advise that the Defence Publishing & Libraries information Services (DPLIS) "...has raised concerns that public funds were being used to support  Cannonball given that the RAAHC is a registered  Not-For-Profit Company. Consequently they have advised that they can no longer support the publication of Cannonball in its current form."

A disappointing outcome  which puts paid to an excellent combined artillery publication to the sword. Both the RAA LL and Cannonball will continue to be published in electronic format on the RAAHC website and we will be discussing the incorporation of a history/heritage supplement  in the RAA LL with HoR.

We are also in discussion with the Sydney Harbour Federation (SHFT) which is seeking rent for the  Cutler Research Centre at North Fort. Watch this space.

UBIQUE,

Ian Ahearn 
Chair RAAHC

150th Anniversary of Australian Artillery

Head of Regiment Operation Order

Head of Regiment (HoR) has issued an Operation Order with the following  purpose:
To appropriately, celebrate and highlight, the commencement and ongoing continuous
service of the RAA since 1871.
The RAA will achieve this through the execution of a series of sequential and simultaneous activities, by thanking and honour Gunner veterans, commemorating and educating the Australian public on the contribution made to the Nation by members of the RAA between 1871 and 2021, and bring together the RAA to formally recognise the anniversary. The most significant of activities will be the Commemorative Ceremony (01 Aug 21), Parade and
Drumhead Service (06 Nov 21) and Laying-Up of Old Queen's Banner (07-14 Nov 21).

In addition a synchronised national gun salute is planned for 1 August 2021 as well as a Last Post Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial. The poster below provides further information on the events.



AUSTRALIAN ARTILLERY ASSOCIATION
150TH ANNIVERSARY
CAR STICKER

The Australian Artillery Association (AAA)  has produced a Car Sticker for the 150th Anniversary. 


The Australian Artillery Association has created a Car Sticker to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of
Artillery in 2021 now available for purchase.

The Car Stickers have been produced at a size that enables the small background Artillery badges to
be distinguishable on the sticker which measures 15.5 cm wide by 10 cm high.

The Car stickers are priced at 1 for $5.00 buy 2 for $10.00 and get a 3rd one free plus postage of $1.10.
For more information and to place your online order and pay for your Car Sticker visit: AAA

australianartilleryassociation

South Korea's Hanwha to Build 30 K9 155mm Howitzers for Australian Army

The Australian government announced on September 3 that it has chosen the K9 self-propelled howitzers, nicknamed Thunder, as the solo candidate for the country's Land 8116 Artillery Replacement project, one of the Australian Army's modernization programs. The government announcement can be see by Clicking Here.


K9 Self Propelled Howitzer

Hanwha said it expects to sign a mass-production contract after a sale proposal review by the Australian government and price negotiations. The deal involves 30 K9 howitzers and associated support equipment, including 10 K10 ammunition resupply vehicles (ARVs). The Korean defense contractor has earmarked 1 trillion won ($843 million) for the project.

K9 Thunder South Korean self-propelled 155 mm howitzer is designed and developed by the Agency for Defense Development and Samsung Aerospace Industries for the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, and is now manufactured by Hanwha. K9 howitzers operate in groups with the K10 automatic ammunition resupply vehicle variant. Development of K9A2 variant is currently in process.
The K9 can fire its first round within 30 seconds from the moment it first receives firing information from the Fire Direction Center (FDC) while in emplaced situation. While moving, it can fire after 60 seconds. After firing, K9 Thunder can quickly move away from its last position in anticipation of the enemy's counter fire, before firing its next shot.






didyouknow
Did You Know?

CASCABEL

    The cascabel is the ring, or 'button', at the centre rear of a muzzle-loading gun's barrel. In action a breeching rope was placed through, or attached to, the cascabel and passed around to the front of the gun; the detachment would use this rope to pull the gun back into the firing position after the gun had recoiled due to it having been fired. The rope, attached to the cascabel, could also be used to traverse the gun to the left or right to engage a different target. On more 'modern' guns an elevating screw was attached between the cascabel and the trail for elevating or depressing the barrel.
 
   
   The metal currently used to make Victoria Cross Medals comes from the cascabels of two Chinese guns that had been captured by the British, in 1860, at the Taku Forts in China during the Second Opium War.



gunnersaroundthenation

Gunners Around the Nation & The World
                                       

 

View the latest Newsletters from various Artillery associations around the nation:

RAA Association Victoria Newsletter - Cascabel

Locating Surveillance and Target Acquisition Association - Newsletter

131 Locators Association - Newsletter

Royal Australian Artillery Association (NSW) -Website

Australian Artillery Association - Website

Royal Canadian Artillery - Royal Canadian Artillery

Royal New Zealand Artillery Association - Website

Royal Artillery Association - Website

7 Field Regiment RAA- Website