Surveillance and Target Acquisition

For the USMC snipers, see STA sniper (USMC). For the RSTA/ISTAR/STA doctrine, see ISTAR.

For Artillery STA, see below

Surveillance and target acquisition 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 artillery is to locate, track, assess and where appropriate cue the attack of hostile artillery, mortars, units and formation. 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

• 5 Regiment Royal Artillery
• 32 Regiment Royal Artillery

Territorial Army

• The Honourable Artillery Company
• 204 (Tyneside Scottish) Battery Royal Artillery (Volunteers)
• 269 (West Riding) Battery Royal Artillery (Volunteers)

German Army Artillerietruppe

• Artillerieaufklärungsbataillon 131, Mühlhausen

Royal Australian Artillery

• 20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery

Italian Army

01.09.2004 - oggi

• 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

Equipment

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

See also

• C4ISTAR
• RSTA (U.S. Army)
• CARVER matrix