Light gun first entered service with the British Army in 1976. The new weapon was heavier than its predecessor, but new, more capable helicopters such as the Puma and Westland Sea King, which could carry the new weapon, were also entering service at the same time.
At present, the British Army fully equips only light forces (7th (Parachute) Regiment Royal Horse Artillery and 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery) with the light gun. Other regiments are temporarily equipped with it for service in Afghanistan. 14 (Training) Regiment Royal Artillery uses it for training at the Royal School of Artillery.
Three regiments of the Territorial Army (100 Regt. RA(V), 103 (Lancastrian Artillery Volunteers) Regt. RA(V) and 105 Regt. RA(V)) are also equipped with the light gun. The Honourable Artillery Company, 104 Regt. RA(V) and other units use the light gun for ceremonial purposes.
Those University Officer Training Corps with "gun troops" train with the L118.
A new vehicle, the Land Rover 101 Forward Control (Land Rover, One Ton) was designed as the prime mover in the field for the light gun (and the Rapier air-defence missile launcher). Since the end of the 1990s, the British Army has used Pinzgauer ATVs as their gun tractors. In Arctic service, and elsewhere, the gun is towed by the Hägglunds Bv 206 and is fitted with skis when over snow.
In 1982, the light gun saw intense use in the Falklands War. Five batteries (30 guns) were deployed to the Falkland Islands. During the final phases of the battles around Port Stanley, these guns were firing up to 400 rounds per gun a day, mostly at "Charge Super" i.e. the most powerful propellant charge for which they were designed. They were a significant factor in the British victory. Since then, British forces have used the light gun in combat in the Balkans, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan.
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