Frozen battlefield drills: Exercise Winter Camp tests Nato battlegroup in Estonia

Personnel from the Royal Tank Regiment Battlegroup under 1 Estonia Brigade have been put through their paces on a major winter training exercise designed to test how troops operate in extreme cold.

Exercise Winter Camp takes place at the Estonian Defence Forces' Central Training Area near Tapa, with around 1,250 personnel taking part. 

Temperatures in Estonia during winter can drop to around minus 30°C at night.

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The exercise is the Royal Tank Regiment battlegroup's final major training event on Operation Cabrit, the UK deployment supporting Nato's Forward Land Forces in Estonia.

The battlegroup includes UK armour, infantry, artillery and engineers alongside French troops, US cavalry and Estonian forces. 

The exercise is being run under 1 Estonian Brigade and is designed to rehearse tactical actions linked to Estonia's national defence planning, drawing on lessons from the war in Ukraine.

Equipment in use includes Challenger 2 main battle tanks and a mix of infantry fighting vehicles and support platforms, alongside small uncrewed aerial systems and counter-drone kit.