King Charles III has fired a 105mm L118 Light Gun during a visit to the Royal Regiment of Artillery at Larkhill in Wiltshire, marking his first official engagement with the Regiment since becoming its Captain General.
According to the Royal Family’s official social media post, the visit saw His Majesty meet with soldiers and families from the 21 regiments that make up the Royal Regiment. The King was briefed on the unit’s training, equipment and operational responsibilities before being invited to fire the light gun himself, a rare public moment of royal participation in live-fire military activity.
The King has visited the Royal Regiment of Artillery in Larkhill, meeting military personnel and their families from the 21 regiments that form the Royal Regiment.
His Majesty also heard about the Regiment’s training and equipment – before being invited to fire a L118 Light Gun… pic.twitter.com/E1g2qbFBBe
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 6, 2025
To commemorate the occasion, King Charles was presented with a specially engraved 105mm cartridge case. The cartridge had previously been fired during the Coronation salutes in honour of Their Majesties.
According to a British Army update, the King also toured a series of equipment stands showcasing the Royal Artillery’s ‘Find and Strike’ capabilities, which include target acquisition, sensor integration and precision fires. He also met senior commanders to learn more about the Regiment’s evolving role in the British Army’s Integrated Force.
The L118 Light Gun is a 105mm towed artillery piece used by airborne and commando artillery units. It can be moved by medium-weight vehicles or transported underslung beneath a Chinook helicopter. Recent upgrades include an automatic pointing system based on inertial navigation, allowing for rapid deployment and engagement within 30 seconds.
The weapon’s versatility, mobility and reliability have made it a cornerstone of British field artillery since the 1970s. It remains a key capability for light role formations, including rapid reaction forces.
King Charles’s role as Captain General continues a long tradition of royal affiliation with the Royal Artillery. The visit to Larkhill, the Regiment’s home since the early 20th century, underscores the monarch’s ceremonial and symbolic connection to the armed forces in his capacity as Head of the Armed Forces.
Why is this needed over a month after the actual event?
Very odd timing – it was widely reported before….?
Talking of Artillery. A letter from Master Gunner on X ( UKAFC )
talks of FMF within next 2 years and, more interestingly, Deep Fires for both 3 and 1 Division.
Deep Fire capability currently in 2 Regiments of the DRSB, 26RA and 3 RHA, 2 Batteries each, reinforced by 2 more from 101RA.
This Brigade is very much part of 3 Division.
Changes ahead.
BAE Sheffield – new factory for M777?
M777 is not deep fires.
Ah! Every day is a school day. So MLRS then?
😄 Yes Paul.
An area expanding. Suggestions of a 3rd Battery per Reg.
But a M270 doesn’t seem to fit with a Division composed of Air Assault Infantry and Paras, Light Infantry, and Bns in Foxhound supported by Jackal and Light Gun.
Divisional Troops negligible.
Hence the interest. I don’t see HIMARS being bought after the M270 expansion either.
@DM. GMARS or PULS?
You’d think PULS would be perfect for a wheeled 1 Division.
The Army seems in a state of never ending inertia, terrified of actually making a decision and buying something.
An awful lot of talk, including 120mm Mortar, rumour of which has been around for years, but no action.
Not which is public, anyway.
The RA is in an appalling state, courtesy of HMG.
Deep fires for 1st division would be profoundly impactful on what 1st division is.. maybe moving it from a parking place for air Mobile and light infantry type battalions to an actual meaningful division.. it will be interesting to see how they sit deep fires in the future in both 1st and 3rd Division.. if they move 3rd division back to 3 deployable heavy brigades.. how will they work divisional level assets like deep fires. Could we see a return of something like the 1st artillery brigade or would they move deep fires directly into each brigade and make them organic to the brigades. It will be interesting to see where it all goes.. but hopefully better than the present disaster.
Well one report had it as a mechanized formation of 3 Brigades, on Boxer.
Which I think is pie in the sky. Maybe just 7 Bde.
Ideally you’d have a DRSB per Division, with 3 Division tracked and 1 Division wheeled, part Boxer, part lighter PMV in 4 Bde.
Which would be back nearer the pre 2010 set up but without the DRSB bit.
Do 2 MLRS Regiments in DRSB support 3 Brigades?
Ideally an AI Bde would have its own Gun Regiment and MLRS or HIMARS Regiment.
I agree on 1 Division being a bit of a disaster.
Post A2020 in 2010 it was effectively a “Golf bag” of formations dumped in it, no less than 7 Infantry Brigades!
No doubt spin from MoD HMG to make it look more formidable than it was. What realistic Divisional formation anywhere has 7 Brigades.
Only 2 of which were actual, real Brigades with CS CSS, the others regional admin formations.
It’s enablers/Divisional troops were almost non existent. No Royal Signals, for example.
It could, even then, have had those 2 Bdes ( 51 and 7) and had 16 AA included for a 3 Bde set up.
The Army could have then committed Boxer to it, making a Strike Division and an Armoured Division. They instead mutilated our tracked Armoured Division by removing one of its AI Bdes and planning to cull the IFV of the two that remain, with the Strike plan.
For that, where is the national enquiry, with Carter and the ministers who would not fund WCSP, Ajax, Boxer, CH3?
And why did Carter bring Boxer forward. That was NOT the plan post 2010.
More recently, the Army has returned to a more sensible organisation, with Regional Command taking those other “Brigades” like 160 Welsh, and 16AA placed in 1 Division to make a, on paper 3 Brigade formation.
On paper, as unless you study this thing, one might not know 4 Bde is a Brigade with no CS CSS.
The usual smoke and mirrors from Andover and HMG.
Lots to do to make 1 Division a “proper” Division.
It has a thin Logistics Brigade, a RS Regiment, Int Corps elements.
And holes everywhere.
In an ideal world, Archer, Boxer, HIMARS, and heaven forbid its own AAC Regiment.
I almost think the Army needs a complete red line drawn over what has been and a sit down to agree what it’s delivering and therefore what formations it needs.. with no double hatting or pretending a deployable formation exists when it does not. From that you can reform what you have and then build what you don’t.. but without that gap analysis of what you need to deliver, what you require to deliver vs what you have you are essentially tinkering and that is what has happened to the army it’s been almost tinkered to death.. now it essentially needs a complete reform because I don’t think you can simply tinker your way out of this hole.
In reality the British army needs 2 deployable divisions focused on Europe and an adaptive force focused on Africa, Indo pacific and south Atlantic.
1 division needs to be heavy with 3 heavy brigades ( armoured cav, MBT and 155mm artillery and air defence regiments, 2 armoured infantry battalions with IFV) , this would be focused on Northern European deployments ( as it would always have the equivalent of 1-2 battalions deployed in the north) . Then 1 light division with 3 mech infantry brigades ( cav, 3 Mec infantry battalions 155 artillery, airdefence) this would be focused on southern European deployments but shifted north when needed( as 2 of the battalions would always be deployed to the Med) all with full CS,CSS supported by deep fires, and wider air defence. Then an air mobile adaptive brigade for essentially the rest of the world. This would be your 16 air assault brigade + light role infantry to support garrison + wider deployments ( Falklands, Kenya, Belize, Brunei) Finally the RM would get a high north focus.
So you get 6 brigades for Europe ( 3 heavy, 3 medium ) and the northern flank, 1 brigade for world wide stabilisation work ( air mobile) and the Marines for the artic circle work… zero double hatting as those 2 divisions will always be setting somewhere in Europe able to deploy their brigades to provide NATO its reserve.
“I almost think the Army needs a complete red line drawn over what has been and a sit down to agree what it’s delivering and therefore what formations it needs”.
Unless I’m confused ( which considering my advancing years is entirely possible) that’s what the SDR and the eagerly awaited defence industrial plan will accomplish. My view is that we will see something that is coherent but grounded in reality, which sad to say will fall short of the aspirations of many. Life is full of disappointments. It will be a case of ‘when the going get tough, the tough get going. Take it easy.
Drawing a red line under what is already done is going to be hard, as contracts exist and commitments can’t be withdrawn from. Like it or not a Battlegroup is tied to Estonia. The bottom line is the Army knows where it’s gaps are, and is doing what it can to meet the commitments the Government is giving it with the resources it has. Having to double task, or have 4 Brigade on high readyness is not going to change unless more resources come the Army’s way, and the government seems intent on ignoring that.
The 7 Infantry Brigade structure of 1 UK Division post A2020/R was not about making the Division “Look formidable.” It was about retaining the localised HQ structure of Home Command from the BAOR days, where Brigade HQ’s also held regional responsibility for MACA taskings, and administrative control of Defence Estate in their AO’s. (Also the grief your giving Carter is somewhat Hindsight 20/20 here, bringing Boxer forward at a time when it looked like Medium weigh formations where the way forwards and, notably, most NATO countries where actually ahead of us with Medium weight wheeled formations wasn’t insane. Even now you’ll get plenty claiming that the tank is dead and heavy armour is obsolete, who, in theory, should applaud the introduction of Boxer ahead of everything else).
For all your criticism, remember that 1 UK Division was never intended to be a combat formation. It was meant to generate forces for tasks such as Afghanistan, and other low level deployments that would not require anything more than a battle group while 3 UK Division was the deployable force, and for what it was intended it actually was pretty efficient, in some ways more efficent than what we have now. Regional HQ’s had forces directly under their control that they could plan and use for within the UK taskings. (Also remember that 16AA was part of the Reaction Force, along with 3 UK Division). I will also point out that the 7 Brigades in 1 UK Division under the Original Army 2020 was a reduction from the the 10(!) Regional Brigades that where in Support Command.
Lastly a bit of perspective here on some things that can be argued where bad about leaving the A2020R behind:
-First of all under A2020R 1 UK division actually had three properly formed Brigades under it’s command. 4th, 7th and 51st each had three manuever Units, plus some reserves. Sadly 102 Log had gone to enable 3XX to have 4 Brigades plus 16AA, and then some budget cuts.
-Second, the Division didn’t simply shed it’s unwanted undeployable brigades when Future Soldier happened. 42nd Brigade had already been disbanded, the headspace probably used to make SpecInf Group and then ASOB. 11 Brigade then went to SFAB. 160 and 38 did go to Regional Command, but 51st first had to shed all of it’s units, giving them to 7 and 4 (which is why those two brigades are much too large and we could easily make a third brigade without adding new infantry formations, or give infantry to DSRB should we want to make it a full on manuever brigade again). So the transition wasn’t as clean in that regard as you’re portraying it.
-Third: When 38, 51 and 160 left to simply become Regional HQ N. Ireland, Scotland and Wales, a lot of new 1* HQ’s where created. First there is 19L Brigade which we all forget still exists in 1 UK Divisions Orbat (You know, with 10 Maneuver Units in it’s orbat and no CSS). But also: the reorganisation resulted in the creation of 4 new 1* HQ’s under regional Command (South-East, South West, Centre and North). So it’s not all amazing.
Aaaandd Georges new spam detector doesn’t like me posting this.
Yes. Thats how I saw it. And DRSB today.
Up till Strike, those 2 Brigades in 1 had CS CSS.
7 in all.
3 Armoured. 1st,12th, 20th.
2 Infantry. 7th 51st.
16AA.
3 Cdo.
Now, only 4.
I’m not keen on Carter at all, bringing Strike forward and wanting to shed Tanks. And ironically the Regiment he had down to lose them still has them, and looks like it will keep them.
Yes, I appreciate 1 Division was the Adaptable Force.
For all its faults A2020 was ahead of where we are now.
10 Brigades….oh boy, I’m starting to forget, they were the ones from 2nd 4th, 5th Regenerative Divisions.
43 Wessex,160 Welsh, 42 NW, 15NE, 51st Highland, 52nd Lowland, 38 Irish, 1?? Home Counties, 1?? West Midlands, 4th,?
3 Cdo is squarely at the feet of the Navy, who prioritised carriers, F-35 and T-26 over Amphib and RFA, not Carter nor the Army. I don’t see how we’d not have lost at least a Brigade of enablers in A2020R, the funding just wasn’t going to be there for it, and the “loss” of the 2nd Brigade was in Future Soldier, after Carter was gone. I know you’re not keen on him, I think unfairly so.
Anyway, money doesn’t stretch, and everyone in this country has this terrible idea that we need to fund the Navy and Airforce first, so the Army ends up with scraps and has to make do. Personally I think we should cut this silly F-35A lug the yanks A bombs for them idea and get some CSS funded.
Well, you know how I feel about CS CSS.
I’d go along with that regards the A.
Serves ’em right they’ve been ‘met some not all’ rating for years, hopefully Tanks will be OK though…
I really dislike this trend of saying the ‘British Royal Navy’ or ‘Britain’s King Charles fires artillery’ or the ‘British royal family’. It’s like everything is written for a foreign audience. Maybe it is.
Agreed. And when did we start saying “King Charles” or “King Charles III”? When reporting on it, it should e simply “The King”.
Amazing to see the RA’s only field gun in action.
Don’t worry Maurice, they have more. I’ve seen them on Thames for the kings ceremonial birthday salute.
Good, we can all sleep easily.
Where did that shell go? Hope he didn’t break anyones glass windows…by Royal appointment of course!
Any reason Northern Ireland are excluded from this report? Last I heard they were part of the UK and he is also their king…
I don’t think the L118 gun was used much in the Troubles.
And yet, sited near the EIRE border and dialled in by SF, they might have made impressive red mist of certain snipers… Oh dear EIRE, we were shot at from your side of the border, and returned from our side of the border. any questions?
Correction; This isn’t a live fire activity. It’s blank fire.
Live Fire would have taken place on a range, with an impact area. Not on a mowed lawn that looks like it’s in front of Larkhill HQ.
Looks like the King earned another medal.