Armoured vehicles and crews put to the test during Exercise WORTHINGTON CHALLENGE

Gagetown, New Brunswick – National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

Armoured fighting vehicle crews from five countries, including 186 Canadian soldiers, will participate in Exercise WORTHINGTON CHALLENGE 2016 from September 23 to 30. The exercise, which has a competitive flavour, will be hosted by the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps School at 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown in New Brunswick.

Exercise WORTHINGTON CHALLENGE will provide opportunities to practice and assess a wide range of fundamental mechanized soldier skills. The exercise also accomplishes the goal of increasing interoperability with allies and partner nations while building esprit de corps.

Main battle tanks like the Leopard 2 and armoured personnel carriers like the LAV III and 6 continue to be relevant on the modern battlefield. Armoured vehicles are capable of protecting and transporting Canadian soldiers across a wide range of terrain, in all environmental conditions, while also providing troops with direct-fire capability. The Leopard 2 and LAVs are key elements of the warfighting capability of the Canadian Armed Forces.
  

Quote

“Exercise WORTHINGTON CHALLENGE provides soldiers the opportunity to practice and measure their skills. The exercise is becoming well-known for its full range of training opportunities, from physical fitness and weapons handling to vehicle navigation and direct-fire gunnery. Strong, Proud and Ready through speed, toughness and firepower.”— Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Hutt, Commandant, The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps School

Quick Facts

• The exercise will test a number of skills including direct-fire gunnery, tactical driving, and teamwork tests in challenging settings using the Leopard 2 main battle tank, Light Armoured Vehicle III and 6, and the Coyote Armoured Vehicle.
• Competing nations include: Chile, Denmark, New Zealand, the United States, and Canada. Observing nations will be: Australia, Poland, and the United Kingdom.
• The WORTHINGTON CHALLENGE is named for Major-General Franklin Worthington, MC, MM, CD, who is considered the founder of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps.

Photos

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