Crack troops are to get bigger parachutes to allow them to jump into battle with more weapons.
The UK’s future paratroopers will need more bullets, body armour and supplies such as night vision technology and hand-held drones, boosting their weight.
Commanders want them to be able to carry it all so they can stay on the ground without the need for re-supply.
Defence chiefs are trying out new parachutes for rapid reaction units serving with 16 Air Assault Brigade – plus special forces units.
Irvin GQ supplies UK forces with low level parachutes, which allow troops to jump from just 450ft.
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But the new LLP the company has developed allows Paras to carry an extra 50lb and slows their rate of descent to reduce the risk of injury on landing.
Russ Murphy, from Irvin GQ, said: “It will lower the descent, the speed at which a paratrooper makes contact with the ground. The more weight, the faster that will be. The new technology that we have put into the canopy allows the rate of descent to be the same as it would be for a light weight.”
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The importance of our paratroopers was highlighted last year when 200 members of 2 Para dropped into Ukraine to demonstrate their capability to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces.
A senior defence source said: “Today soldiers carry a lot more protective equipment, which means more weight. Hopefully the upgrade to the LLP has sorted the problem.”
The advanced parachute is needed for the two on-call battalions within 16 Air Assault Brigade and other special forces units who support the SAS.
