Unsure.
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If memory serves me correctly RAF PT couldnt assure us doing it so poo pooed it
My course was conducted by regular Army PTI’s one of the toughest courses I’ve done.
A pretty poor excuse given it was one of activities that cadets loved…
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That and it was a service course, not like you were buying in a Civi Qual
Anyway this is descending into the lost activities thread and we already have a thread for that.
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that’s banned?
…oops
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They don’t. Same situation as us. There was talk about issuing some L85s but I don’t think anything came of it.
IIRC the LSW and the minimi (and some other bits, 60mm mortar) went. LSWs replaced by the Sharpshooter operationally.
The LSW came in for a lot of criticism (possibly because it wasn’t the Bren / LMG that went before it) but some regulars and reservists said it was pretty effective, if used correctly.
Happy for someone to split the thread into ‘cadet fire team small arms’ for us fieldcraft geeks.
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I’m working on some bits for this and actually saw a doc from one of my team on it yesterday.
JL use L98 only. ACF use L85 to simulate fire support if its really needed. I know some regulars use GPMG with the ACF if its available as well.
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We did an assault course recently on a wing camp in May I believe.
R.I.P. Junior Leaders Course
For clarity’s sake, it’s definitely gone forever now?
My understanding is that the HQ leadership courses would be reviewed and likely merged in to another entity. Not sure anyone knows what that looks like yet and it may even keep the JL name.
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I’ll bet my bottom dollar it will be classroom based, less fun and cheap!
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i could imagine it being “less dynamic” - despite what some QJL thought, it was a “leadership” course and not a “fieldcraft” course.
Fieldcraft was just the platform, and an obvious military one, to adopt to demonstrate leadership (and teamwork).
any replacement will still need to do the same, but could be an extension to “hanger leadership exercises” which have been done for years at Cranswell/OASC etc.
(where rather than testing/analysing leadership skills, the kit and scenarios are used as teaching aids to demonstrate and build on leadership skills)
While any replacement should be cheaper, it shouldn’t necessarily be less “fun” - just a different way of demonstrating how to apply the skills taught.
I am sure many of us have taken courses in work which include “break out rooms/groups” and had to design and build a bridge out of rudimentary kit (dry spaghetti etc) or had to build a balloon powered car or similiar type stuff. these classroom based exercises and are completed within 60 minutes and so far easier to complete than a full weekend exercise in a DTE - however i am not “for” this style of classroom demonstration, it needs to be sitting somewhere in the middle (like the hanger exercises), certainly getting out of the classroom.
it could have a much more STEM bias, changing the tyre on a car, or perhaps the jeep strip and rebuild task (made Cadet friendly). to make it more RAF have an aviation application…
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When I failed RCB (as AOSB used to be called) we had a field gun trial type race between two teams, except is wasn’t an actual gun but easily assembled / dissembled components that, when put together correctly, looked like a gun. I’m thinking something similar.
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exactly the field gun is another great example. it is a “military application” and fits a teamwork/leadership task.
it is also STEM orientated, some of the course could be spent teaching the STEM elements of the gun, either its workings, or the engineering behind it (material choice, manufacturing methods etc) or the physics of the firing (how much charge is used = how much bang = distance travelled, the projectile being used, weight, shape and size etc, and the angle required to hit a target, all physics and maths there)
Seems a no brainer
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I’m pretty sure some of the CCFs have the field gun ‘kits’.
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There are probably some that have actual field guns.
I know of one or two that have sizeable collection of equipment from the civil war so could certainly equip a good number of cadets with genuine armour, pikes & swords.
a field gun which they fire during inspections I can well believe 
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I believe the Sea Cadet, have had some replica field guns made, that they use. I haven’t seen one. But a few years ago we had one made, and it works well and is good fun.
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It is a no brainer and would work incredibly well…until someone had a ‘gut feeling’ it could be dangerous.