The Royal Armoured Corps
The regiments of the Household Cavalry and Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) form the core of the British Army’s Mounted Close Combat (MCC) capability. The 10 Regular and 4 Reserve regiments are descendents of the famous cavalry regiments who rode into battle on horseback and of the Royal Tank Regiment, who manned the very first tanks during the Great War (World War 1). As one of the two Combat arms, along with the Infantry, they are primarily focussed on close combat through “closing with and destroying the enemy”, however there are differences in how this is achieved.
The regiments of the Household Cavalry and Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) form the core of the British Army’s Mounted Close Combat (MCC) capability. The 10 Regular and 4 Reserve regiments are descendents of the famous cavalry regiments who rode into battle on horseback and of the Royal Tank Regiment, who manned the very first tanks during the Great War (World War 1). As one of the two Combat arms, along with the Infantry, they are primarily focussed on close combat through “closing with and destroying the enemy”, however there are differences in how this is achieved.
The RAC ethos is embedded in their training to enable their officers and soldiers to exploit the capabilities of their fighting vehicles and the speed of manoeuvre to outwit, outfight and outlast the enemy through shock action and reconnaissance. The RAC soldier combines agility of mind, the ability to operate at pace, self-reliance, loyalty to his crew, coolness under pressure, physical and mental courage, technical expertise and flexibility with exceptional battle-proven equipment and represents modern soldiering at its most exciting.
Royal Armoured Corps Regiments
The 14 Regiments of the Household Cavalry and Royal Armoured Corps are descendants of the famous Cavalry Regiments who rode into battle on horseback as heavy or light horsemen; and of the Royal Tank Regiment who manned the first tanks during the Great War.
Today, these regiments deploy on operations in a variety of roles and are equipped with some of the most formidable fighting vehicles in the world.
Their core roles are armour, armoured cavalry and light cavalry, as well as the ceremonial duties carried out by the regiments of the Household Cavalry.