Staff Courses and Qualifications - TO BE UPDATED

There are three distinct 'channels' in ATC staff qualifications relative to shooting; these are : -

• Weapons Instruction (WI[C] or SAI[C] and qCWHT)

Only course qualified Weapons Instructors are permitted to teach Initial Weapons Training, or undertake refresher weapons training, and only on any weapon on which they personally are qualified and current. Also, to undertake 'dry' fieldcraft training (using weapons but without blank ammunition and pyrotechnics) you have to be a course qualified Weapons Instructor giving the qualification Weapons Instructor (Cadets) or WI(C).

Only staff who become Skill at Arms Instructors or SAI(C) may plan, supervise and conduct exercises using blank ammunition and pyrotechnics.

Staff who are qualified to conduct weapons handling tests  (qCWHT) may conduct weapons handling tests on any weapon on which they are qualified and current.

Staff who have  "T" suffix after their qualification are Trainers, i.e. they are qualified to train Instructor Cadets and / or adult staff e.g. qCWHT(T) are qualified to train, assess and qualify Instructor Cadets and adult staff to become qCWHT, and WI(C)(T) are qualified to train, assess and qualify Instructor Cadets and adult staff to become Weapons Instructors.

• Coaching

All ACO qualified Range Conducting Officers (RCOs) have to undertake (at least) the Basic Coaching Course run by the Regional Small Arms Training Teams (SATTs), as the controlling Army authority made it a mandatory condition that all RCOs have some training in coaching principles.

Other coaching courses ; e.g.  the ACO Target Rifle Coaching Course (now held at Beckingham Ranges near RAF College Cranwell) or NRA coaching courses; satisfy this requirement.

• Range Management Qualification (RMQ[C]SR or LR)
  • The basic qualification is the RMQ(C)SR (or Range Management Qualification [Cadets] Short Range) - this gives the qualification to conduct outdoor 'barrack' ranges, indoor rimfire ranges, air rifle ranges, and 'tube' ranges, at ranges UP TO 25 metres only, and using .177 calibre air rifles and 0.22 inch rifles firing 'live' ammunition, only.

   

  • To conduct Long Range firing practices, the Range Conducting Officer (RCO) has to attend and pass another course which qualifies them to run a 'Gallery' range. (However, before the RCO can attend this course, he (she) needs to convert onto another weapon (either or both the L98A1 or L81A2 cadet rifles) to be able to command and control a range practice using these weapons). Upon passing the Gallery Range Course the RCO becomes qualified to RMQ(C)LR(G) - the latter part stands for -Long Range- Gallery.

   

  • Finally the RCO can attend an Electronic and Moving Mechanism Target Ranges course. This qualifies the RCO to command and control ranges using electronic scoring systems and moving targets. The qualification then becomes RMQ(C)LR(E)

Overview of the qualification process. The following flowchart is intended to illustrate a logical approach to developing skills and qualifications in one or more of the three 'branches' of ACO shooting, with potential for progressing in more than one 'branch' concurrently. The flowchart does not illustrate the only possible sequence of courses. Consult MxSATT Weapons Training Instructor wpnsinstr@mxsatt.co.uk if you have any queries.