Bugle Summer 2026 - Flipbook - Page 18
3 RIFLES
Ex NORTHERN STAR
May saw BHQ, C and F Companys mUAS
platoon join B company, fresh from their
success on Ex METSO, in Kajaani, within
Finland’s central region. Ex NORTHERN
STAR is a collective training event, ran
annually for Finnish brigades, simulating
an invasion over their eastern border. We
fought alongside the local Kainuu brigade,
a force with which the battalion has an
enduring partnership built over exercises in
2025. Arrayed against us was a composite
force of a company of French ‘Chasseurs
Alpins’ (mountain troops), several mounted
Finnish companies, and a platoon of
Hungarian special forces – providing a
fitting simulation of overwhelming enemy
numbers.
Both the sniper and recce platoons were
tested in the most demanding of conditions,
working at significant reach and achieving
notable successes – one sniper pair had a
full mechanised company establish a leaguer
within 40 metres of their hide! B company,
well acclimated to Finland’s forested terrain,
dug, manoeuvred, defended and counterattacked all over the extensive training estate.
Making good use of lessons learned on
METSO, on how to best defend their positions
against infantry companies four times their
size.
The exercise provided a realistic setting to
conduct rigorous field-testing of some new
drone capabilities provided by Anduril, which
saw junior Riflemen piloting drones to acquire
targets at ranges of up to 10 kilometres.
At the request of the Finns, battlegroup
main remained collocated with the Kainuu
brigade, which required a novel combination
of ATAK data and BOWMAN HF to cover the
100-kilometre distance to the remainder of the
battlegroup. The constant live-feed from the
mUAS platoon onto screens within the ops
room provided a novel distraction to weary
battle-Captains!
As 3 RIFLES focusses in on our given
purpose, of defending Finland from Russian
invasion, Ex NORTHERN STAR provided an
excellent opportunity to practice just that.
18 RIFLES The Bugle
one sniper
pair had
a full
mechanised
company
establish
a leaguer
within 40m
of their
hide!
