Special Air Service
Great Britain
Britain's Special Air Service is the world's premier elite fighting force. The regiment is home to the most highly trained and deadly soldiers ever to do battle and their reputation is that of ruthless efficiency. whether operating deep behind enemy lines in a desert or jungle cinflict, or tackling terrorism head on, the professionlism and dedication of the SAS is legendary.
The equipment and tactics used by the SAS have changed dramatically
in recent years and the process of change is ongoing. the regiment
keeps itself thoroughly up to date with modern technological
developments and in many cases leads the way in producing new weapons
and equipments.
Made up of 4 Sabre (fighting) Squadrons. Each squadron is sub-divided
into four troops with a small headquarters section. Each troop is
designed to operate in a variety of terrians and environments,
providing different methods of delivering soldiers to their drop-off
points. These include vehicle mobility, mountaineering and Arctic
warfare, air insertion and boat entry methods. Each troop member will
have an individual skill, ranging from medical training to lauganges,
demolition and signals. Additionally, each troop will specialise in
its own unique skills.
The SAS selection coruse takes place in the Brecon Beacons. Its aim
are to weed out those who are unsuitable, and to push to the limit
of those who are capable of passing. The hardest to pass was
'Endurance March'. Following that for those who passed, more training
continues.
Close Quarter Combat is train in the 'Killing House', the name given to a flat-roofed block building in the grounds of the Hereford base. It is one of the few bulidings on the base which is in constant use. It is designed with the express purpose of perfecting individual shooting skills and building clearance drills practised by the SAS. The internal layout allows for many different scenarios, from simple target shooting to room combat. Despite the millions of rounds that have been fired since the 'Killing House' was contructed and the realistic conditions under which training is carried out there had been only 1 fatality.
The basic SAS anti-terrorist team consists of about 30 men. The men usually drive to the scene of the incident in Range Rovers and Transit vans, carrying with them the weaponry and equipments to go into actions the moment they are on site.
Read about the operation which gains SAS the media's attention
Due to the clandestine nature of its operation, genuine photographs of the SAS are extremely rare.
Back to Anti-Terrorist units