On October 6 a two-week anti-tank units Exercise Hunter 2014 began honing anti-tank weaponry using skills of over 200 members of Lithuanian and U.S. anti-tank units at the General Silvestras Žukauskas Training Range in Pabradė.
"This year the national anti-tank units exercise coincides with the multinational one. The current security situation calls very urgently for enhanced interoperability with allied troops and increased know-how of destroying armoured combat materiel. Inclusion of air support into the scenario this year will help to broaden our soldiers' skills even more," Exercise Director of Hunter 2014 Major Edgaras Birvinskas says.
The exercise involves soldiers of the Lithuanian Land Force's anti-tank units and anti-tank weaponry operators of the 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, U.S. Army, with various equipment, from ordinary anti-tank guns to advanced missile systems, capable of defeating armoured materiel of hostile forces. Participants of the exercise will deliver live fire from the JAVELIN shoulder-mounted anti-tank medium-range missile systems, the CARL GUSTAF and the AT-4 (disposable, single shot) anti-tank launchers, the PV 1110 anti-tank recoilless rifle, 120 mm mortars and M-50 howitzers. Participants from the Air Defence Battalion of the Lithuanian Air Force will use the L-70 short-range anti-aircraft guns. The UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache helicopters of the U.S. Air Force will assist in destroying armoured targets and provide air support in defensive operations.
Lithuania will be represented in the theoretical, hands-on, live-fire, and demonstration of weaponry and ammunition exercise by military personnel from the Mechanised Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf, National Defence Volunteer Force, Juozas Lukša Training Centre of the Lithuanian Land Force, Juozas Vitkus Engineer Battalion, King Mindaugas Hussar Battalion, Grand Duchess Birutė Uhlan Battalion, Lithuanian Grand Duke Butigeidis Dragoon Battalion, Air Defence Battalion of the Lithuanian Air Force and the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Headquarters Battalion.
Exercises Hunter are held in autumn annually at the General Silvestras Žukauskas Training Range in Pabradė for training anti-tank troops to deliver live fire with anti-tank weaponry.
POC: PR officer of the Juozas Lukša Training Centre of the Lithuanian Land Force Captain Tomas Ilonis, phone no. 00370 706 75876
Photo credits: Ieva Budzeikaitė (from the MoD archive)
