Prince William rides Challenger tank near Russian border during visit to Estonia. PHOTOS
Prince William of Wales joined British troops in a field exercise at a NATO base in Estonia and rode a Challenger 2 tank near the Russian border.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by the BBC and Sky News.
Prince William visited the Estonian training ground in Tapa and watched soldiers from the Mercian Regiment take part in the exercise.
According to the BBC, during his visit, William asked soldiers about their deployment "in the context of being so close to Russia".
William also talked to the soldiers about the new threat on the battlefield - drones - and the change in tactics it requires.
According to the newspaper, there were warning signs around the base that read: "Report the appearance of drones".
Prince William also had the opportunity to ride a British Challenger 2 tank.
He was also shown a number of military vehicles, including the Warrior infantry fighting vehicle, multiple launch rocket systems, the French Griffon combat vehicle, and the Trojan obstacle course vehicle.
The prince was also allowed to drive the Archer, a mobile artillery system with a range of 50 kilometres.
Prince William's trip to Tapa was part of a two-day visit on behalf of the UK government to demonstrate the UK's support for Estonia, Ukraine and its commitment to NATO membership.
"This is what deterring Russia on the ground looks like - and the base shows how much the balance of power can change," the BBC reports on William's visit.
The Mercian subunit of which he is Commander-in-Chief has just begun its six-month deployment to Estonia as the lead battlegroup working alongside NATO partners. There are 900 British troops in Estonia, and it is the UK's largest permanent deployment abroad.
British troops are deployed in Estonia and Poland as part of Operation Cabrit, the UK's contribution to NATO's efforts to counter Russian aggression in the Baltic States
