News

Air Defence Troop aim for the sky

Published

9 years ago

December 1, 2014

Live firing exercise: Air Defence Troop training at Manorbier.

AIR DEFENCE TRooP Royal Marines have just completed a live fi ring exercise at Air Defence Range Manorbier near Tenby in south west Wales. The Plymouth based troop are part of 30 Commando and specialise in using the High Velocity Missile (HVM) anti-air system made by Thales Air Defence Ltd. HVM is one of the most complex short range anti-air missile systems in the world and can be fi red off a small launcher called an LML or off the operators shoulder. HVM missiles go to three times the speed of sound within a second of launching, after which they are controlled by the operator using a small joystick on the launcher which is known as the aiming unit. Missile fi ring camps are highly technical and require months of planning.

Each operator has to do hundreds of shots on a simulator and then has to prove that he is ready to fi re a live missile by repeatedly tracking a target drone with a laser. The drones are called Banshees and are operated by technicians from QinetiQ. The Banshees are about two metres long and are designed to survive the missile engagement. They have sophisticated radar which allows the controllers to estimate if the HVM would have destroyed a full sized aircraft. Safety for the missile fi ring is coordinated by a specialist team from the Royal Artillery Gunnery Training Team (GTT) based at Larkhill in Wiltshire. The missiles are normally fi red from land out to sea because the large range safety template for this system.

Permanent staff at the range ensure all sea and air movement in the area is monitored visually and by radar. “We provide range safety cover and we look after fi rst time fi rers as they fi re using LML and in shoulder launch mode,” says Captain Rob Deane who is the GTT Instructor Gunnery. “Firing shoulder launch is harder because you have no stabilisation platform so we fi nd the stronger guys are suited better to this mode.” This was the fi rst fi ring for some of the marines who fi nished their Heavy Weapons three’s (Air Defence) course earlier in the year.

Air Defence is one of three Heavy Weapons branches in the Royal Marines, the other two being Antitanks and Mortars. “Air Defence is one of the Royal Marines branches you rarely hear about. Not many people even know what sort of missiles we fi re.” says Captain Chris Nutting, Offi cer Commanding Air Defence Troop. “We have made reasonable progress given the weather constraints. It’s quite a steep learning curve using HVM as it relies heavily on the quality of the user,” says Capt Nutting.

“Luckily we have some very capable lads who are able to perform under diffi cult circumstances; particularly in the shoulder launch role which requires a lot of upper body strength and general tenacity, especially when it gets windy.” The HVM missile has a fi rst stage motor which throws it forward from the launcher after which the second stage known as the ‘bus’ kicks in and boosts the missile to over 2000 mph which is faster than a rifl e bullet. The ‘bus’ burns out after less than a second and then three small ‘darts’ separate which are guided to the target by the operator using a laser beam.

Every missile launch is studied in detail by technicians from the missile manufacturer who provide telemetry feedback which allows the Gunnery Training Team to evaluate the success of each engagement. The target aircraft are so small that they need to trail smoke to help the operators’ acquire them in their sights. Although they are designed to survive missile engagements they do occasionally get destroyed by a direct hit. One operator who scored a direct hit was Marine Jamie Morgon, 23, from Reading. “The visibility was good so I had a good length of tracking,” said Mne Morgon.

“I took my time and did the engagement and it was successful. I was happy when I saw the parachute come out and the aircraft come down.” Air Defence Troop are part of Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron (SRS). This small unit is the nucleus of the 3 Commando Brigade Reconnaissance Force. Air Defence Troop routinely provide extra manpower to support SRS activities. Marine Andrew Tucker, 25, from Cornwall, was fi ring HVM in the shoulder launch role for the fi rst time. “This was my third missile. It was a lot harder fi ring shoulder launch, because it was windy it was a lot more diffi cult and there was a lot of buffeting about trying to get the tracking right.”

“I joined the troop for the chance to travel, because you can stay Plymouth based if you want but there’s also lots of chances to go away with SRS. I’ve also got additional qualifi cations such as getting parachute and Heavy Machine Gun trained out of being in the Troop because of the SRS connection,” added Mne Tucker. “The biggest issue here at this time of year is always the weather, the wind, the rain are all against us. Trying to fi t fi ring in around this is tricky,” says Capt Deane from the Royal Artillery. “We enjoy working with the Royal Marines though – they are, how you say, ‘hoofing!’

Community

Cardigan Radio launches daily live broadcasts

Published

2 hours ago

April 16, 2024

Tom Sinclair

Cardigan Radio/Radio Aberteifi says it is excited to announce a new line up of daily live broadcasts starting every evening from 7 PM at www.cardiganinternetradio.wales. Live shows will be hosted
by founder and presenter Bobby Kelly and other dedicated volunteer members.

The Cardigan Radio stream is constantly alive with great music that spans various genres, providing something for everyone. Listeners are encouraged to tune in and experience the quality and diversity of
Cardigan Radio’s programming for themselves.

You can listen 24/7 not only through their website www.cardiganinternetradio.wales but also on platforms such as Online

Radio Box and Radio Garden.

Online Radio Box: https://onlineradiobox.com/uk/cardiganinternet/
Radio Garden: https://radio.garden/visit/cardigan/DyV8OcNC

Interested in getting more involved? Cardigan Radio is always looking
for passionate volunteers to join our team. Whether you’re keen on
presenting, handling tech, or engaging with the community, we’d love to
hear from you. Contact us at [email protected] or call
01239 543025.

Connect with us on Facebook for updates and more information:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/friendsofcardiganradio
https://www.facebook.com/RadioCardigan

Tune in to Cardigan Radio and discover your new favourite sound!

If you’re interested in being a guest on our station, whether remotely
or in one of our member’s studios, we’d love to hear from you!

Climate

West Wales health board to cut its energy bill by £100,000 per year

Published

3 hours ago

April 16, 2024

Tom Sinclair

HYWEL DDA Health board has launched an innovative, yet simple ‘Switch it off’ campaign to help drastically reduce both its energy usage and costs.

The campaign consists of ‘switching off’ all non-essential equipment when not in use; from computer monitors and laptops to medical equipment, lights, and radiators. This is one of the several initiatives being delivered as part of Hywel Dda’s Decarbonisation Delivery Plan. All of which are aimed at helping to reduce energy costs and CO2 emissions for non-essential equipment by around 20%, which could save around £100,000 per year.

From March 2022 to April 2023, the health board reported spending almost £14 million on energy, producing more than 20 million kg in CO2 emissions. It was evident action needed to be taken to meet its targets to reduce emissions to just 34% by 2030 as set out in the NHS Wales Decarbonisation Strategic Delivery Plan.

Sarah Thorne, Senior One Health Practitioner at Hywel Dda, who has been leading on the implementation of the campaign said: “The ‘Switch-it-off’ campaign is something we expect everyone across the health board and hospital to get involved in. If we all work together, we will see those changes immediately.

“While analysing our energy usage, we discovered that leaving just one TV or PC monitor on standby, instead of switching it off, can waste almost £25 of electricity per year. We have over 6000 screens across the hospital and offices within the health board so if everyone switched off their screen when they weren’t using it, it could help to save a huge amount of money, while also reducing CO2 emissions. It is simple actions like this that will have a massive impact.”

As well as launching the ‘Switch it off’ campaign, the health board has benefitted from Estates Funding Advisory Board (EFAB) funding and Salix funding to support the delivery of a range of decarbonisation projects such as roof mounted Photovoltaics (PV), heat pumps, and solar canopies. It has also made a start in switching its lightbulbs to LED energy saving ones and is planning to install light sensors in communal areas such as toilets and kitchens. Earlier this year, the health board also received funding to install its own solar farm which provides sustainable electricity to power some services, reducing carbon emissions and promoting biodiversity in the area.

Julie James, Minister for Climate Change said: “The ‘Switch it off’ campaign from Hywel Dda is a great example of how organisations can inspire and empower their staff to work together to reduce both carbon emissions, energy usage, costs, and our impact on the environment.

“If everyone could do their bit by ‘switching off’ unnecessarily appliances, it would make a huge difference to the amount of energy we use, which will in turn help us to create a cleaner, greener Wales.”

The Welsh Government has committed to taking action on climate change. Since 2019, the Welsh Government has helped people access greener energy choices. Investing £120million in energy efficiency improvements to social housing through the Optimised Retrofit programme, helping around 148,000 people to live in homes that are cheaper and more efficient to run. The Nest scheme has supported tens of thousands of people to improve the energy efficiency of their home, while in turn reducing energy bills and improving health and wellbeing.

The Welsh Government has also backed flagships schemes such as Ripple Energy’s Wind turbine cooperative, Morriston Hospital’s solar farm and Pobl’s Penderi shared energy initiative, which has seen a community generate and share its own renewable energy. Pilots like these pave the way for similar projects in the future, enabling more people to save money on their energy.

For more advice on how you can reduce your energy use visit climateaction.gov.wales

Climate

Small Carmarthenshire village set to become ‘pylon city’

Published

3 hours ago

April 16, 2024

Tom Sinclair

LLANDYFAELOG is to become a “pylon city” under plans by Green Gen Cymru and the National Grid, according to Charlie Evans, Welsh Conservative candidate for Llanelli in the General Election.

Green Gen Cymru, a sister company of Bute Energy, is erecting 132kV overhead pylon lines as part of its Towy-Teifi and Towy-Usk projects across mid and west Wales, which is aiming to increase electricity grid capacity to power the proposed Nant Mithil onshore wind energy park in Powys. A new 400kV electricity substation is to be constructed in Llandyfaelog to meet this need.

Green Gen Cymru’s latest consultation came to Llandyfaelog Village Hall on Thursday 11th April.

Green Gen Cymru also revealed to Charlie at the consultation that National Grid are looking to construct a third additional pylon line connecting to the new substation. The new substation will be built to the east of the A484, off Upland Arms.

Charlie Evans said, “These plans are going to have a devastating impact on residents in Llandyfaelog. There is already a significant pylon line running over the Upland Arms at the moment. The Welsh Labour Government, with its extreme climate policies, are letting big energy companies ride roughshod over Llandyfaelog and Carmarthenshire.

“The cumulative impact of three new additional pylon lines is going to seriously impact residents’ house prices as well as drastically increase noise pollution. And local residents’ energy bills aren’t going to come down as a result. What’s in it for Llandyfaelog?

“Labour want to turn Llanelli into a city, and now they want to turn Llandyfaelog, a beautiful small village, into a pylon city.”

Charlie said that Llandyfaelog needs cable ploughing, instead of the pylons.

“I recognise that we need to increase grid capacity. We need to get to energy independence. But we don’t need all these new pylons in Llandyfaelog. ATP, a company based in Carmarthenshire, demonstrated last week that cable ploughing can be used to deliver the energy we need, without completely destroying the countryside.

And Charlie said residents in Carmarthenshire shouldn’t let Plaid Cymru off the hook.

“Plaid Cymru are propping up the Labour Government in Cardiff. They’ve signed up to the same policies as Labour. And the Plaid Cymru-led Carmarthenshire Council are removing the Special Landscape Areas from its planning framework. Whilst Plaid’s politicians in Carmarthenshire pretend to be against them, their actions say something very different.”

Green Gen Cymru’s latest consultation on the Towy-Usk project is open until Wednesday 8th May.