SOUTHWEST ASIA (Dec. 30, 2013) -- Recently some members of 1-62 Air Defense Artillery Battalion were invited to a Jordanian Vulcan Live Fire exercise, hosted by the Jordanian 2nd ADA Group.
The Vulcan weapon system is a belt-fed, anti-aircraft or ground system capable of firing 7200 rounds per minute with high precision.
The system was used by the U.S. Army as an air defense asset mounted on an armored vehicle however, the Vulcan became a superior ground support weapon in Panama during Operation Just Cause. The U.S. Avenger and Linebacker systems replaced the Vulcan in 1994, but Vulcan systems are still heavily relied upon by many other countries.
Upon seeing the Vulcan system for the first time, Capt. David Lettrich said, "The system's ability to engage a variety of targets with such a high rate of fire is a tremendous asset."
Vulcan live fires are conducted on an annual basis and are a culminating event which validates the training readiness of a Vulcan Unit.
During the live fire exercise, the Jordanian gunners fired at ground targets ranging from 200 meters to 700 meters using controlled bursts. The Jordanians then used mortars to fire illumination flares into the sky as aerial targets. Once the flares wer spotted, the gunner quickly engaged the target. One Jordanian Soldier destroyed the target at 1500 meters, which received laudatory praise from everyone on the site.
Sgt. Maj. Christpoher Moore, the battalion operations Sgt. Maj. stated, "Acquiring such a small target in the sky is extremely difficult and requires great training to be proficient."
U.S. and Jordanian armed forces integration and partnership will further develop the 2nd ADA Group's ability to conduct a multitude of AMD operations in combined environments.
1-62 ADA is thankful for the joint forces partnership with their Jordanian counterparts and look forward to continuing the intra-theater cooperation.
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