On July 24-28 international Exercise Barbara‘s Resolve 23-II trained artillerists delivering live fire at targets on the Baltic Sea from fire positions in the Brigadier General Povilas Plechavičius Training Area at Kairiai (Klaipėda district r.). The international exercise aims to enhance interoperability and different artillery systems, test operation in different conditions, and provide training and experience exchange opportunities with the Allies.
“The Land Force is developed purposefully in line with NATO requirements by consistently increasing operational capabilities and ability to act together with Allied forces. Troops are constantly honing theirs skills, procedures and other competencies at military training and exercises, just like the one we observe today where three different artillery systems are integrating for common purpose,” acting Commander of the Land Force, Chief of the Defence Staff Col Viktoras Bagdonas said.
Members of the Brigadier General Motiejus Pečiulionis Artillery Battalion and reservists undergoing active training skills ref artillery refresher at the Battalion deliver live shots with 105 mm M50 howitzers into the Baltic Sea. United States military personnel currently deployed in at the Brigadier General Silvestras Žukauskas Artillery Training Area at Pabradė training with the M109A6 Paladin system, and Slovak troops use Zuzana 2 155 mm self-propelled howitzers. M50s of the Lithuanian Armed Forces and M109A6 Paladins of the U.S. Armed Forces destroyed targets up to 10 km away, while Slovaikia’s Zuzana 2 – up to 40 km away.
Fire assignments were completed from two different positions, the shells passed over the Curonian Lagoon and the Curonian Spit at approx. 2 km altitude and dropped into the Baltic Sea several kilometers away from the shore. Safety at sea over the course of the drills is provided by LNS Žemaitis (P11) patrol ship and Skalvis (M53) Hunt-class MCM ship, the tasks is completed ashore as well, by the Military Police.
Barbara‘s Resolve 23-II, the second iteration of artillery unit training, tests the different artillery systems in different conditions. From July 9 to 16 Lithuanian, French and U.S. artillery units conducted a joint live-fire training event at the Brig Gen S. Žukauskas Training Area where three fire batteries used different weaponry systems, including the Lithuanian Armed Forces’ French-made Caesar wheeled self-propelled wheeled howitzers, for live fire.
Photo credit: SSgt Spc Ieva Budzeikaitė.