Totton Cadets of 2495 Totton Detached Flight were Blown away to be allocated tickets for the latest UK Army Land Forces Firepower demonstration day held at Warminster.

The demonstration day commenced with tours around many displays of the UK Land Forces latest Military hardware with the opportunity to talk with the Military personnel about the equipment on display which varied from some of the latest battlefield vehicles currently deployed overseas to smaller items of personal equipment carried by soldiers in the modern theatre of war. The overwhelming highlight of the day was without doubt the Live Firepower demonstration. Seated in the grandstand the UK Land Forces gave live fire demonstrations of much of the equipment on static display in the earlier tours and including a host of vehicles up to and including 3 Challenger II tanks live firing salvos in rapid succession.

The Army Air Corps displayed an Apache Longbow Gunship, which appeared from behind the audience and hovered at low level just above displaying its armament before disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. Another aerial highlight was the RAF Tornado that silently streaked overhead from behind the audience leaving everyone jumping out of their seats staring at two red hot exhausts as it flew into the distance, turning back carrying out a live strafing run with its machine guns before dropping a live 1000lb retarded bomb completely wiping out its target.

The demonstration culminated in a mock live firing battle to take out an enemy force in a typical compound not unlike that found in current overseas operations. Cadet Flight Sergeant Asciak commented "To be able to see, sit in and handle so much current Military hardware, followed by seeing it, in full on, live firing action in the main demonstration was one of the highlights of my Air Cadet career, the blast from the Challenger II tanks during live firing was immense! The cadets were literarily Blown Away!"