US and Nato allies demonstrate capabilities in night fire exercise

The US Army and several other nations have participated in a multinational short-range air defence night fire exercise in Utska, Poland.

Soldiers from the US Army’s C Battery, 1st Battalion, 174th Air Defense Artillery Regiment took part in the night fire exercise, which was conducted as part of the Tobruq Legacy 2019, 21-day Nato air defence exercise hosted by Poland.

Tobruq Legacy 2019 involved 3,000 personnel from 13 nations, including the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the UK.

During the night fire exercise, US soldiers demonstrated the AN/TWQ-1 Avenger Missile System and the FIM-92 Stinger Missiles.

The army’s Avenger system comprises a military vehicle that features four missile ports in each of the two guns fixed to the turret. The test represents the first live test for the FIM-92, a handheld weapon system used to engage aircraft.

US Army 1st platoon squad leader and team chief staff sergeant Andrew Bryan said: “It should make our potential adversaries nervous.

“If I saw multiple nations coming together in a huge exercise that was successful such as this one, I would be nervous, because it shows we have the capabilities and firepower to do what we need to do.”

Tobruq Legacy is designed to allow participating nations to improve capabilities to enhance Poland’s structural defence against potential adversaries.

The exercise also seeks to enhance interoperability among the nations to prepare for defence against any attack.