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Artillery Brigade (Finnish Army)
Encyclopedia
Artillery Brigade is a Finnish Army unit situated in Niinisalo, in Western Finland
. The Artillery Brigade trains conscripts and regular personnel for war-time artillery
duties. In addition, it provides a weather service
in the Niinisalo region, and trains most of the Finnish Defence Forces
' dog
s. The total strength of the brigade is some 800 conscripts and 400 regular civilian and military personnel.
The Artillery Brigade consists of the Satakunta Artillery Regiment, the Reconnaissance Battalion, the Artillery School, and the Satakunta Military Band. Every year, some 1,600 conscripts are trained by the brigade. The Satakunta Artillery Regiment fields two cannon batteries
, with equipment ranging from 122 mm light howitzer
s to 155 mm cannon
s and a support battery consisting entirely out of communications personnel and spotters
. The Reconnaissance Battalion fields a heavy rocket launcher
battery, a UAV battery, a Headquarters Battery as well as a UAV Reconnaissance Battery. The conscripts participate in several live-fire exercises in the nearby firing range at Pohjankangas, before the two- or three-week-long national live-fire artillery exercise held twice a year in Rovajärvi
firing range in Lapland.
The Artillery School provides University
-level education for future artillery officers and continuing education for artillery regular personnel.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. The Artillery Brigade trains conscripts and regular personnel for war-time artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
duties. In addition, it provides a weather service
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
in the Niinisalo region, and trains most of the Finnish Defence Forces
Finnish Defence Forces
The Finnish Defence Forces are responsible for the defence of Finland. It is a cadre army of 15,000, of which 8,900 are professional soldiers , extended with conscripts and reservists such that the standard readiness strength is 34,700 people in uniform...
' dog
War dog
Dogs in warfare have a long history starting in ancient times. From 'war dogs' trained in combat to their use as scouts, sentries and trackers, their uses have been varied and some continue to exist in modern military usage.-History:...
s. The total strength of the brigade is some 800 conscripts and 400 regular civilian and military personnel.
The Artillery Brigade consists of the Satakunta Artillery Regiment, the Reconnaissance Battalion, the Artillery School, and the Satakunta Military Band. Every year, some 1,600 conscripts are trained by the brigade. The Satakunta Artillery Regiment fields two cannon batteries
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
, with equipment ranging from 122 mm light howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
s to 155 mm cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
s and a support battery consisting entirely out of communications personnel and spotters
Artillery observer
A military artillery observer or spotter is responsible for directing artillery fire and close air support onto enemy positions. Because artillery is an indirect fire weapon system, the guns are rarely in line-of-sight of their target, often located tens of miles away...
. The Reconnaissance Battalion fields a heavy rocket launcher
Multiple rocket launcher
A multiple rocket launcher is a type of unguided rocket artillery system. Like other rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers are less accurate and have a much lower rate of fire than batteries of traditional artillery guns...
battery, a UAV battery, a Headquarters Battery as well as a UAV Reconnaissance Battery. The conscripts participate in several live-fire exercises in the nearby firing range at Pohjankangas, before the two- or three-week-long national live-fire artillery exercise held twice a year in Rovajärvi
Rovajärvi
Rovajärvi is the main artillery practice range of the Finnish Army and the largest such range in Europe at 1110 km². It is located within the municipalities of Rovaniemi and Kemijärvi. A two-week general military exercise for artillery conscripts is arranged biannually in Rovajärvi....
firing range in Lapland.
The Artillery School provides University
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
-level education for future artillery officers and continuing education for artillery regular personnel.