16 Air Assault Brigade was formed on 1 Sept 1999 from two pre-existing formations, 5 Airborne Brigade and 24 Airmobile Brigade. Based in Colchester, Essex, the Brigade Headquarters is formed from both Army and RAF personnel enabling it to integrate Air and Land operations. Rapid Reaction Force 16 Air Assault Brigade is the British Army’s largest brigade with some 6,200 soldiers, combining the speed and agility of airborne and air assault troops with the potency of […]
Soldiers from 16 Air Assault Brigade, the British Army’s rapid reaction force, have practised the skills needed to seize an airfield as they prepare for a major training exercise in America. Exercise Red Prepare saw the paratroopers of 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment assault an airfield on the Stanford Training Area in Norfolk, with close air support from two Apache attack helicopters from 3 Regiment Army Air Corps. Once it was secured, 23 Engineer Regiment […]
From chefs to mechanics, troops who support the British Army’s rapid reaction force have polished their soldiering skills. The logistic and maintenance troops of 16 Air Assault Brigade provide the power behind the punch delivered by the Brigade’s Apache attack helicopters and airborne infantry and artillery. Exercise Eagles Prey has put the supporting soldiers through their paces to ensure they are ready to deploy as part of the Air Assault Task Force (AATF). The week-long […]
A Brigade whose troops were among the first and last to serve on operations in Afghanistan has joined together to commemorate its commitment and pay tribute to its soldiers killed while serving in the country. Paratroopers from 16 Air Assault Brigade provided security in Kabul in 2002 after the overthrow of the Taliban and led the first major deployment into Helmand Province in 2006. Its Apache attack helicopters were deployed from 2006 until British combat […]
