There will be a rolling thunder in the air over Canberra on Sunday as the local corps of the Royal Australian Artillery trigger a national salute which will continue around the country.
The occasion is the celebration of the Australian Artillery's 150 years of continuous service to the nation.
And as should be expected, the celebration will involve firing large guns repeatedly.
From the top of Mt Pleasant on Sunday at 12.30pm - just above the ADF headquarters at Russell and where the artillery memorial is located - the 23rd Light Battery from HMAS Harmon will fire 21 blank rounds from its M2A2 105mm Howitzers.
These artillery pieces, although now mostly retired from active service and used for ceremonial purposes, are a light, towed, general purpose weapons which were the "workhorse" of the Australian army for many years, including during the Vietnam conflict.
The Canberra rounds will kick off a combined national salute of 150 rounds rolling clockwise around the country. The Sydney and Melbourne batteries' active participation have been suspended because of Covid-related reasons, but Darwin's battery will be out on a training ground and fire live rounds.
"Members of the public should not be alarmed when hearing the gunfire as these activities pose no threat or danger," Brigadier Richard Vagg said.
"This is a great occasion for the Australian military.
"Our artillery regiments have a long and distinguished record of service around the world and have played key roles in all major land battles from World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War and our more recent conflicts.
"Our veterans such as those who fought in the Battle of Long Tan speak highly of the hugely important role played by the artillery."
In the now famous Battle of Long Tan, which has since been cinematically revisited in both a documentary and the acclaimed 2019 feature film Danger Close, the artillery's role was crucial.
Allied soldiers, both US and Australian, manning the artillery support worked tirelessly during the battle, firing almost 3500 rounds as the Australian soldiers battled the 10 to 1 numerical superiority of the enemy in the field.
