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    MRF-D Marines conduct live-fire training at Bradshaw Field Training Area

    HIMARS fire during Exercise Southern Reach

    Photo By Sgt. Brandon Salas | Marines with 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, a part of Marine Rotational...... read more read more

    BRADSHAW FIELD TRAINING AREA, NT, AUSTRALIA

    08.17.2019

    Story by Cpl. Kallahan Morris 

    Marine Rotational Force - Darwin

    BRADSHAW FIELD TRAINING AREA, Australia - High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, known as HIMARS, Marines with 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, a part of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin, participated in Exercise Southern Reach, a live-fire training exercise at Bradshaw Field Training Area, Australia from 13-15 August.

    The HIMARS Marines fired two Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System munitions, known as GMLRS, in Australia for the first time ever. The live-fire training conducted was over an area of 3,282 square miles.

    HIMARS is participating in MRF-D for the first time. These Marines and equipment provide MRF-D an extended range precision strike capability that can further shape the battlespace.

    "These being the first GMLRS in Australia to be shot, I felt honored to have that opportunity," said U.S. Marine Cpl. Daniel Pavelka, one of the HIMARS Marines a part of the exercise.

    Not only were two GIMLRS munition shot, there were multiple rounds of Reduced Range Practice Rocket (RRPR) shot from each M142 HIMARS truck.

    The MRF-D Marines with the battery set a precedent for HIMARS in Australia and enjoyed training in a new environment.

    "This training was especially good because maneuvering a 24,000 pound M142 HIMARS truck through the thick brush terrain was not an easy task," said Cpl. Alex Scholl, an M142 HIMARS driver.

    Southern Reach had three M142 HIMARS trucks; each was paired with a gun truck, better known as a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMVV), mounted with an M240 machine gun operating the training area.

    From the insert to extract, the HIMARS Marines with MRF-D conducted multiple fire missions, shot two GMLRS rounds, and enjoyed training in the heat of Australia's Northern Territory dry-season.

    The Marines went to Bradshaw Field Training Area with the mindset to train hard during the exercise and executed well.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 08.17.2019
    Date Posted: 08.17.2019 07:44
    Story ID: 336316
    Location: BRADSHAW FIELD TRAINING AREA, NT, AU

    Web Views: 209
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN