An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir April 2014 www.dfmagazine.ie 12 | Suddenly, the lead scout in 1 Section spots enemy movement but before he can re- port back, he is targeted by the enemy and takes cover from incoming fire. "Contact front!" echoes into the night while the section com- mander issues his GRIT, "No 1 Section, range 90m, base of third tree from the right on ditch line to the front, two en- emy; rapid fire!" With the enemy position being suppressed the section commander completes his combat estimate. It's evident from the enemy fire that they are unsure of the direction of the attack and unaware of what force they are confronting. However, the attacking platoon's fire is lethally accurate due to a combination of training, technol- ogy and all-arms co-operability. Each soldier in the platoon is equipped with the latest night vision goggles and these will soon be aided by infrared illumination dropping, on call, from above. Unlike conventional 'white-light' illumination, the in- frared variety helps the friendly forces to clearly identify their targets while being of no benefit to the enemy unless he is similarly equipped with night vision equipment. With the lead section suppressing enemy fire and 2 Section ready to assault, the platoon commander contacts the air as- set and orders the release of the first IR ten-foot pod… Welcome to the 'Black Light' live-fire platoon attack where 88 Cadet Class had the privilege of being the first in the DF to conduct such an operation. Carried out under myself (OiC Ex- ercise) and Sgt Duff's supervision, this was the first live-fire night platoon attack carried out with Air Corps support via the deployment of IR assets. As the cadet platoon continued to advance on the enemy, the Air Corps CASA 235 support aircraft from 101 Maritime Squadron began dropping LUU- 19 IR flare pods as directed. These flares are designed to provide up to seven minutes IR illumination over an area one kilometre in diameter. As the friendly forces were equipped with night vision goggles but the enemy weren't, this gave a considerable advantage to the cadets. After 50mins this inter-arms co-operation exercise resulted in the capture of four enemy positions. All objectives were secured and the mission successfully completed. As part of the cadets' tactical training, night operations con- tinue to play a vital aspect in the development of leadership skills. The ability to co-ordinate air support with the ground assault is a worthy test of any cadet's command and control. Until now, our primary use of night vision technology at night has been for observation rather than engagement of the enemy. However, the introduction of IR technology and its use in combination with night vision goggles allows the DF to take the fight to the enemy and to effectively 'own the night'. by LT TOM TOOHER (PL COMD, 88 CADET CLASS) Overcoming I n the cold dark of the Glen of Imaal an infantry platoon deploys on its attack bearing. out ahead somewhere is an en- emy force determined to prevent the platoon from securing its LoE. Meanwhile 15,000ft overhead, a supporting Air Corps plane circles in the darkness With this as your window on the world, command, control and individual drills must be of the highest standard or things can go very wrong, very quickly.

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