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British soldiers can't fire their mortars because they are too LOUD
[Mail] Soldiers have now been ordered to employ a reduced charge to cut down the level of noise, meaning they can only practise up to a range of 2,000 metres.The 81mm has been long established with British troops, and was used by Allied forces during the Invasion of Normandy on D-Day in 1944. The ranged explosive is used to this day by the British Army to pound insurgent positions, as well as to provide support to ground forces on an assault or during a retreat. The Noise at Work rules could be overruled on operational grounds by Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, but he is yet to intervene. Parachute Regiment veteran Paul Biddiss told the Daily Mirror: 'This is Âridiculous. You have to be able to use a weapon system to its maximum capability.' A senior military source added: 'The noise problem has been an issue for years but I didn't see any concern from politicians when we were using mortars in Helmand.' The new rule comes following fears that many Afghan war veterans have sustained issues with their hearing due to being in regular proximity to mortar fire. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said: 'We keep our health and safety policies under constant review and are committed to ensuring Service personnel have appropriate protection during both training and operations. Posted by: Besoeker 2016-01-22 |
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