29 (BATUS) Flight

29 (BATUS) Flight, Army Air Corps is an independent flight, though administratively it is part of 5 Reg AAC. The British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) conducts major training exercises in Alberta, Canada at the Canadian Forces Base Suffield. 29 Flt provides aviation support for the training. Its roles include supervision, CASEVAC (casualty evacuation), reconnaissance, liaison and limited lift of passengers and equipment. The unit uses Gazelle helicopters.

BATUS is located in southeastern Alberta, 50 km (31 mi) northwest of the city of Medicine Hat and 250 km (160 mi) southeast of Calgary.

In 1971, an agreement was signed between the British and Canadian governments permitting the British Army to use over three-quarters of the Suffield Block for armoured, infantry, and artillery live-fire training. DRES was renamed Canadian Forces Base Suffield (CFB Suffield), and new base housing and support facilities were constructed for the British Army and Canadian Forces personnel, including refurbishing the community at Ralston. The Defence Research Establishment Suffield (DRES) continued until 2000 when it was merged into a new organization Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC).

British Army training has continued at Suffield since 1971, with the shared-use agreement being extended several times (made indefinite in 2006). Regular and reserve units of Canadian Army began to make use of the base beginning in 1991, around the same time as the downgrading of CFB Wainwright. BATUS consists of pool training equipment used by army units rotating through the base on exercises, as well as a training "opposition force" (OPFOR).

According to "The British Army in Canada" by the UK Mod (at Nov 2014):

"The prairie of Alberta has provided an excellent opportunity for the British Army to train on a large scale since 1972. The British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) is an organisation situated on one of the most sparsely populated areas of the Alberta plain.

BATUS is equipped with in excess of 1000 vehicles including a full complement of Challenger 2 tanks and Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicles. Each year a Regiment is sent there for six months to take the part of the 'enemy' for the other Regiments that are there to train each year.

The training area at BATUS is equivalent in size to the combined area all of the main training areas used by British Army in the UK and in Europe; Salisbury Plain Training Area would fit in 7 times over. 5 Battlegroups, each containing approx 1400 soldiers, are trained at BATUS each year. These MEDICINE MAN exercises, which can be up to 30 days in duration, are split into two phases; Live Fire and Tactical Effects Simulation (TESEX), the later with a live enemy. The TESEX system identifies when vehicles have been fired at and damaged / destroyed and also informs soldiers when they are being fired at and if hit what injuries they have sustained.

The duration of the exercises, and size of the training area, allow all elements of a combined arms battle group (Infantry, Armour, Artillery, Engineers, Air Defence, Logistics and Equipment Support) to conduct realistic live firing training at all levels and to practice sustaining this activity over a long period of time."

Sources

• "29 (BATUS) Flight" by UK Mod/Army, (accessed: 5 Dec 2014)
• "29 (BATUS) Flight AAC" by Wikipedia, (31 Oct 2014 ; accessed: 20 Dec 2014)
• "British Army in Canada (The)" by UK Mod/Army, (accessed: 5 Dec 2014)
• "CFB Suffield" by Wikipedia, (5 Nov 2014 ; accessed: 20 Dec 2014)
• "Overseas Training Areas" by Hansard, (03 Aug 1971 ; accessed: 20 Dec 2014)