25 cadets from 444, 12F, 56 and 291 Squadrons recently enjoyed a day on the range and obstacle course; honing their marksmanship and teamwork skills at Woolwich Barracks.

On the obstacle course, cadets were trained in how to overcome obstacles such as the 12 foot wall, catwalks and cargo nets. The cadetswere in groups of 4 or 5, and really had to work together to help the whole team to overcome the obstacles. All teams successfully completed the entire course, and even the more experience teams dramatically improved their performance, as they were coached in new techniques throughout the day.

Another highly successful activity on offer was the opportunity for cadets to practice their marksmanship skills on the Dismounted Close Combat Trainer (DCCT) Range, at the barracks. The range allows firers to perfect their target shooting – L98A2 weapons are used, although rather than live fire, the rifles use lasers to fire at targets on a screen at the back of a range. These lasers are picked up by the computer system operating the range, which can give detailed feedback on the precision, consistency, and aiming of the weapon. Combined with careful instruction from the staff, cadets can see marked improvement in their ability to hit targets, after just a very short period of training on this range.