UK and NATO allies demonstrate largest airborne assault in two decades

• UK and French troops train together for the realities of 21st century warfare, with 16 Air Assault Brigade tested against an enemy using drones and electronic warfare capabilities.
• Approximately 600 paratroopers have conducted low altitude jumps from RAF A400M aircraft, with troops and specialist equipment delivered together for the first time at this scale.
• Joint Airborne Task Force gives UK Defence rapid reach to respond to emerging threats worldwide.

Over 2,500 British and French troops are training together in Germany to prepare for the realities of modern warfare as part of a seven-week exercise culminating in one of the largest British airborne operations in a generation.

Exercise RHINO TITAN, held at Sennelager Training Centre, has been testing 16 Air Assault Brigade, the UK military's Global Response Force, against an enemy equipped with cutting edge technology and tactics.

Troops faced off against threats including enemy drones and electronic warfare, reflecting the reality of modern battlefield combat. 

The exercise is bringing together British and French forces, with Germany providing Host Nation Support, to rehearse the kind of rapid, coordinated operations that today's conflicts demand.

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting MP said:

The threats we face in the 21^st Century require an updated, modern approach to warfare - and our adaptable Armed Forces are preparing accordingly.

Alongside our French and German allies, this large-scale training exercise shows we can deliver rapid, large-scale airborne power anywhere it's needed to defend NATO territory.

This combination of troops and specialised equipment is what is required to deter our adversaries and keep Britain and our allies safe.

Brigadier Ed Cartwright, Commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, said:

We have been given a realistic challenge to defend NATO territory and pitted against an enemy using drones and electronic warfare, which is what we would face on the modern battlefield.

We have also trained alongside key NATO allies and demonstrated the close partnership with the RAF that is key to the brigade's ability to conduct air manoeuvre. The end result is a brigade that can be confident in its skills and its readiness to deliver its critical role as Defence's Global Response Force." 

The exercise has seen approximately 600 paratroopers delivered across multiple waves during a single battlefield exercise, in which UK and French soldiers parachuted from four RAF A400M Atlas transport aircraft.

The UK Armed Forces can now deliver not only personnel but also the stores and specialist equipment they need to operate immediately on arrival, giving UK Defence a modern, rapidly deployable airborne capability that can be delivered further, faster and more effectively than before. 

Group Captain Jim Rycroft, Deputy Air Mobility Force Commander, said: 

"Exercise RHINO TITAN demonstrates how the Royal Air Force and British Army combine to generate and deliver combat power at speed, at range and at scale. 

By bringing together the Air Mobility Force and 16 Air Assault Brigade, we are proving the UK's ability to respond rapidly to emerging challenges while strengthening our interoperability with NATO allies and partners." 

While low-level parachuting from the A400M is now well established, the capability demonstrated during this exercise has been built through years of training, development and experimentation.

It forms part of the Joint Airborne Task Force, which gives the UK military the ability to deploy personnel rapidly and at range in response to emerging threats, with the RAF and Army working together to deliver the capability. 

The UK routinely trains alongside NATO, working with A400M operators and other tactical airlift nations to develop common tactics, procedures and operating methods. 

Exercise RHINO TITAN builds on that foundation, bringing together British, French and German partners to demonstrate NATO's ability to deploy combat power collectively and at pace. 

Notes to editors

• Key units include 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment, validating a new Light Recce Strike role; the parachuting 3 PARA Battlegroup, joined by a company from the French 3e Regiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine (3e RPIMa); and 1st Battalion the Royal Gurkha Rifles, acting as an enemy force with reconnaissance and strike drones.
• Three RAF Chinook helicopters are also supporting the exercise, including the relocation of a medical reception station by air.
• 16 Air Assault Brigade is the UK military's Global Response Force, held at very high readiness to respond to global crises. It is specially equipped and trained to deploy by air, and is able to carry out the full spectrum of missions, from humanitarian operations to warfighting.
• Over the last 18 months, the Air Mobility Force and Parachute Training Squadron have increased activity between RAF Brize Norton, Weston-on-the-Green and Salisbury Plain. Training has progressed from basic parachuting serials to formation flying, simulated mass drops and integrated personnel-and-stores delivery.
• Air Mobility Force is a critical enabler of UK Defence Ops providing strategic and tactical airlift, AAR and personnel movement. A400M, C-17 Globemaster and Voyager support operational Theatres, Ops and Ex, enabling UK and allies to deploy, sustain and operate at pace, anywhere in the world.
• MoD extends £190 million contract with Airbus to maintain the RAFs A400M Atlas fleet, boosting aircraft availability while sustaining over 350 UK jobs
• Imagery from the exercise will be available on the Defence Imagery website in the coming days.