Fort Bliss Monitor

82nd Preforms Live Fire Exercise

Story and photos by
Fonda Bock,
Fort Bliss Public Affairs

Spc. Richard Partida operates a remote control unit linked to the Avenger. From this component missiles can be fired from the turret of an Avenger while keeping Soldiers at a safe distance.

Moving at mach 2.1 speed – more than twice the speed of sound at about 16,000 mph, missiles shrieked across the skies over the southwestern part of Texas March 31. Drones where shot down and tanks blown up.

It was nothing to be alarmed about; just the 82nd Airborne Air Defense Artillery Regiment wrapping up an annual week of training at Fort Bliss McGregor Range with the Stinger and the Avenger, the U.S. Army’s premier line-of-sight, mobile, shoot-on-the-move, air defense system.

As orange test missiles - ballistic aerial targets, or BATS – shot off into the crystal blue sky and drones flew overhead, the paratroopers practiced shooting down the projectiles and planes with missiles fired from the Avenger and Stinger. Exercises included shooting from the Avenger on the move, from a remote control unit and off the shoulder. In addition, the Soldiers engaged in a simulated scenario where the Avenger missile malfunctioned and they had to convert to MANPADS.

After working out a few kinks, Spc. Richard Partida and his teammate Sgt. Thomas Lembrick made the only hit that day. With the touch of a button from a remote control unit more than 100 feet away, Partida fired a missile out of the Avenger, successfully locking onto the BAT. About a second later, the hit created a flash and a bang, sending a trail of smoke off into the sky.

The purpose of this vigorous, intense, week-long exercise was to fully qualify the Soldiers for combat by polishing their skills and boosting their confidence in themselves and their team.

Capt. Kernna McFarlin said a practice like this is “as real as it gets.”

The hit of the day certainly ignited a feeling of confidence in Partida, who says he now feels ready to be deployed anywhere.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	April 7, 2005

<map name="boxmap-b4"> <area shape="rect" coords="0, 589, 120, 600" href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" > <area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=&creative=92501&camp=8117&link_code=dl1&path=subst/misc/amazon-cobrand-cc/v3/marketing-from-associates-step1.html/ref%3Db1_assoc_29" > </map>	82nd Preforms Live Fire Exercise Story and photos by Fonda Bock, Fort Bliss Public Affairs Spc. Richard Partida operates a remote control unit linked to the Avenger. From this component missiles can be fired from the turret of an Avenger while keeping Soldiers at a safe distance. Moving at mach 2.1 speed – more than twice the speed of sound at about 16,000 mph, missiles shrieked across the skies over the southwestern part of Texas March 31. Drones where shot down and tanks blown up. It was nothing to be alarmed about; just the 82nd Airborne Air Defense Artillery Regiment wrapping up an annual week of training at Fort Bliss McGregor Range with the Stinger and the Avenger, the U.S. Army’s premier line-of-sight, mobile, shoot-on-the-move, air defense system. As orange test missiles - ballistic aerial targets, or BATS – shot off into the crystal blue sky and drones flew overhead, the paratroopers practiced shooting down the projectiles and planes with missiles fired from the Avenger and Stinger. Exercises included shooting from the Avenger on the move, from a remote control unit and off the shoulder. In addition, the Soldiers engaged in a simulated scenario where the Avenger missile malfunctioned and they had to convert to MANPADS. After working out a few kinks, Spc. Richard Partida and his teammate Sgt. Thomas Lembrick made the only hit that day. With the touch of a button from a remote control unit more than 100 feet away, Partida fired a missile out of the Avenger, successfully locking onto the BAT. About a second later, the hit created a flash and a bang, sending a trail of smoke off into the sky. The purpose of this vigorous, intense, week-long exercise was to fully qualify the Soldiers for combat by polishing their skills and boosting their confidence in themselves and their team. Capt. Kernna McFarlin said a practice like this is “as real as it gets.” The hit of the day certainly ignited a feeling of confidence in Partida, who says he now feels ready to be deployed anywhere.