Has the concept of dropping troops with WEAPONS from an aircraft behind enemy lines died since WW2? If so, why there are paratroopers in most armies?
Paratroopers in 2023
Has the concept of dropping troops with WEAPONS from an aircraft behind enemy lines died since WW2? If so, why there are paratroopers in most armies?
why would countries outside of superpowers need strategic level airdrop capabilities, much less afford it
And do superpowers drop their soldiers like that in real conflicts? Can you list examples?
market garden or dday drops are a thing of the past, if possible a helicopter SOF assault would capture a runway to land a airmobile unit onto or conduct the operation with entirely heli-borne forces as the only real superpower, america, can do that
Off the top of my head the most recent use was the invasion of panama.
UK special forces support group did a drop in Afghan in 2010
https://www.eliteukforces.info/uk-military-news/281210-paras-jump-into-action.php
French Foreign Legion 2nd Rep
did a 200 man drop in Mali in 2013
https://foreignlegion.info/2013/01/28/mali-2rep-timbuktu/
Last time the US did it:
> Operation Northern Delay occurred on 26 March 2003 as part of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. It involved dropping 1,000 paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade into Northern Iraq. It was the last large-scale combat parachute operation conducted by the U.S. military since Operation Just Cause
The Rangers also did a company-sized drop from C-130s to raid a Taliban-held airfield back in 2001.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Northern_Delay
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_invasion_of_Panama
Take over next african countrys main airports, land planes with equipment, and dash to take the main guys
I read something about how those small african countries love paratroopers because all you really need is some parachutes and skydiving training plus any plane and you can easily have a speedy deployment across a massive countryside. Mileage may vary if your enemy has AA coverage but this is african militias we're talking about.
All the money spent would be more efficiently spent on drone operators and drones.
Honestly, just for quick response to a developing situation. You don't necessarily need to drop them 30 miles behind enemy lines. You could drop them down on your side of the front in a scenario where they need to get there ASAP but by ground would be too slow.
Why do a parachute drop when you can just land them in helicopters instead?
A heli cannot carry as many troops. See the rhodesian war and the battle of bien phu
Also, paratroop aircraft aren’t quite as vulnerable to ground fire as helicopters.
A plane can deploy them straight from CONUS. That's the big attraction for the US: they offer the potential to be dropped anywhere, anytime, on less than a day's notice, without any need to hold ports or airfields prior to their insertion (obviously, it's difficult to resupply the troops without them).
For potential opponents, this capability has to at least be somewhat respected, which ties down troops, forces them to waste effort and resources "just in case", and messes with their decision-making. It's a form of conventional... deterrence is sort-of the right word, but has the wrong connotations. It has an effect, though, and that makes the 82nd worth keeping around.
In Vietnam, helicopters had the same attrition rate as individual paratroopers.
It will be a lot harder to pull off since everyone already knows what you are doing.
To control airfield and other poitns before main forces come.
It's actually faster than airlifting. Instead of waiting in a queue to land, landing, unloading all your dudes, and then driving them off to their section of the line you can just fly over the line and kick the dudes right out of the plane. 5 minutes later their on the ground and digging in.
Its fun and great for recruitment.
>Has the concept of dropping troops with WEAPONS from an aircraft behind enemy lines died since WW2?
No. (You) disingenuous homosexual.
Anyone got the screencap about why Africa fucking loves paratroopers? It feels relevant.
STILL GOOD FO SEIZIN POWA IN AFRICA
It can work, but it relies supremely upon operational secrecy. If the other side even get a whiff you're about to conduct it then you might as well abort the mission or write off the division as lost already.
Jungle warfare they're still king, and less costly then using helos for a similar role. It's like saying submarines are a dead concept just because none have fired in anger over the last 50 years.