Surveillance and target acquisition

Surveillance and target acquisition (STA) is a military role assigned to units and/or their equipment. It involves watching an area to see what changes (surveillance) and then the acquisition of targets based on that information.

Artillery STA

The role of STA units is to locate, track, assess and where appropriate cue the attack for friendly artillery units.

It provides commanders with surveillance and targeting information across the battle space and is always linked by a robust command-and-control (C2) system to offensive support (OS) systems.

Special Observer Badge, worn by Soldiers of the HAC or 4/73 Battery RA who have passed STA Patrol Training and successfully completed a probationary period

Units

British Army

Regular army

Army Reserve

French Army

61e régiment d'artillerie

German Army

Artillerieaufklärungsbataillon 131, Mühlhausen

Australian Army

20th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery

Italian Army

01.09.2004 - today

Com.F.O.Ter. Comando delle Forze Operative Terrestri (Verona)
- Co.T.I.E. Comando Trasmissioni ed Informazioni dell'Esercito (Anzio - Caserma “Santa Barbara”)
  - Brg.R.I.S.T.A.-I.E.W. Brigata Reconnaissance, Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition – Intelligence and Electronic Warfare (Anzio - Caserma “Santa Barbara”)
    - 41° Rgt.A.Ter.Sor.A.O. Reggimento Artiglieria Terrestre Sorveglianza ed Aquisizione Obiettivi (Casarsa della Delizia - Caserma “Trieste”)
      - 2° Gr.Sor.A.O. Gruppo Sorveglianza ed Aquisizione Obiettivi (Sora - Caserma “Simone Simoni”)
        B.A.T. Batteria Aerei Teleguidati

Com.F.O.Ter. Comando delle Forze Operative Terrestri (Verona)
- Com.F.O.S.E. Comando delle Forze Speciali dell'Esercito
  - - 185° Reggimento Paracadutisti Ricognizione Acquisizione Obiettivi "Folgore"

United States Marine Corps

Target Acquisition Platoon (TAP)

Equipment

Counter-battery radar^[1] (CoBRa)
Mobile Artillery Monitoring Battlefield Asset (MAMBA)
Advanced Sound-ranging Programme (ASP)
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)

References

^ ARMY FM 3-09.12 (FM 6-121) MCRP 3-16.1A Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for FIELD ARTILLERY TARGET ACQUISITION (PDF). US Army. 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.

[ARMY_FIELD_MAN1-1] ARMY FM 3-09.12 (FM 6-121) MCRP 3-16.1A Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for FIELD ARTILLERY TARGET ACQUISITION (PDF). US Army. 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.

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