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5. FIRING PRACTICE AND EXERCISE AREAS.

1. Firing and bombing practices and defence exercises take place in a number of areas in UK Home Waters and off the coasts of
Commonwealth and Dependant Territories as well as in foreign waters.
2. Limits of practice areas are currently shown for UK Home Waters on a series of six small scale charts called the Practice and
Exercise Areas (PEXA) series. Following a review in 2000, limits of firing and bombing areas are being included on navigational
charts in UK Home Waters at their next full revision. Range beacons, lights and marking buoys which may be of assistance to the
mariner and targets which might be a danger to navigation are also included in navigational charts and, when appropriate, mentioned
in Sailing Directions. Lights are mentioned in the Admiralty List of Lights.
3. Outside UK Home Waters, if the information (e.g. limits, buoys, lights) is available from an authoritative source, details will
be included on navigational charts at their next full revision.
4. The principal types of firing/bombing practice carried out are:
a. Bombing practice from aircraft.
Warning signals are usually shown.
b. Air to air and air to sea or ground firing.
The former is carried out by aircraft at a large (usually coloured) sleeve, a winged target or flag towed by another aircraft
moving on a steady course. The latter is carried out from aircraft at towed or stationary targets on sea or land. As a general
rule, warning signals are shown when the targets are afloat, but not when airborne towed targets are used.
c. Anti aircraft firing.
This may be from anti-aircraft missiles, guns or close range weapons at a target towed by aircraft as in paragraph b above, a
pilotless target aircraft, or at balloons, pyrotechnics or illuminants. Practice may take place from shore batteries or vessels.
Warning signals as a rule are shown from shore batteries. Vessels fly a red flag.
d. Firing from shore batteries or vessels at sea at fixed or floating targets.
Warning signals are usually shown as in paragraph c above.
e. At remote controlled surface targets.
These craft carry “not under command” shapes and lights. Exercises consisting of surface firing by vessels, practice bombing,
and air to sea firing will be carried out against those craft or targets towed by them. A control craft will keep visual and radar
watch up to approximately 8 miles and there will be cover from the air over a much greater range to ensure that other
shipping will not be endangered.
f. Rocket and Guided Weapons firing.
These may be as described in paragraphs b, c or d above. All such firings are conducted under Clear (Air and Sea) Range
procedure. Devices are generally incorporated whereby the missiles may be destroyed should their flights be erratic. Warning
signals are usually shown as in paragraph c above.
5. Warning signals, when given, usually consist of red flags by day and red fixed or red flashing lights at night. The absence of
any such signal cannot, however, be accepted as evidence that a practice area does not exist. Warning signals are shown from shortly
before practice commences until it ceases.
Vessels and aircraft carrying out exercises may illuminate with bright coloured flares. To avoid confusion with international distress
signals, red or orange flares will be used in emergency only.
Note: For identification purposes while in or in the vicinity of the danger area, marine craft operating as range safety craft, target
towers or control launches for wireless controlled targets will display some or all of the following:
a. Red flag at masthead;
b. International Code signal NE4;
c. Display boards coloured dayglow orange with black letters “RANGE SAFETY” on either side of the wheelhouse;
d. Dayglow orange cabin roof.
Target towing vessels display a red flag at the masthead and the signals for a vessel towing a tow over 200 metres in length.
6. CAUTION. A vessel may be aware of the existence of a firing practice area from navigational charts, PEXA charts, Local
Notices to Mariners or similar method of promulgation and by observing the warning signals or the practice.
In the United Kingdom and some other countries, the areas are operated using a clear range procedure; exercises and firing only take
place when the ranges are thought to be clear of all shipping. It is the responsibility of the designated Range Authorities to avoid
accidental damage to any vessel which may be in a firing practice area. If, however, a vessel finds herself in an area where practice is
in progress, she should maintain her course and speed but, if she is prevented from doing this by the exigencies of navigation, it
would assist the Range Authority if she would endeavour to clear the area at the earliest possible moment. If projectiles or splinters
are observed to be falling near the vessel, all persons on board should take cover.

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7. Fishermen operating in the vicinity of firing practice and exercise areas may occasionally bring unexploded missiles or
portions of them to the surface in their nets or trawls. These objects may be dangerous and should be treated with great caution and
jettisoned immediately, no attempt being made to tamper with them or bring them back for inspection by Naval Authorities.
8. All relevant broadcasting authorities around the UK broadcast information relating to Practice Range Safety. Where this is
the case, details of the broadcasting authority, times and frequencies of broadcasts, together with a diagram showing PEXA chart
limits and Range Control Areas are included in ALRS Vol. 3. Outside UK home waters, details of the Range Safety Authorities are
included, where known, in ALRS Vol. 3.
9. It is realised that the foregoing provisions do not apply in all respects in all countries. It is not, however, intended to re-
promulgate by Admiralty Notice information received about firing practice or exercises in foreign waters. Normally areas are only in
force intermittently or over limited periods, and local promulgation or warnings by radio, NAVTEX, visual signals or notices should
be such that they will come to the attention of those whose co-operation or instruction is required.

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