In Pictures: Pathfinders drop into North Macedonia 🇲🇰

The British Army’s global response force is training to show its readiness to respond to global crises alongside allied airborne forces.

Pathfinders, the tip of the spear for the British Army’s global response force, have parachuted in to North Macedonia to be first in for a major multinational exercise.

The team of reconnaissance experts took off from RAF Brize Norton today (Tue 10 May) in a C-17 Globemaster, parachuting from 18,000ft using High Altitude Low Opening techniques to discreetly drop into the Krivolak training area.

On the ground, the Pathfinders’ role on Exercise Swift Response is to scout out enemy positions and mark drop zones for the main body of British, Italian and French paratroopers jumping in a few days later.

Exercise Swift Response sees 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team take command of more than 3,500 soldiers from 8 NATO countries training together in North Macedonia.

The Pathfinders were first in this week as they conducted a High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) jump into the exercise.

Here’s the Pathfinders in action 📸

A soldier from the Pathfinder platoon has his equipment checked before jumping into North Macedonia.

Paratroopers from the Pathfinder platoon approach the ramp of their aircraft ahead of their HALO jump.

A Paratrooper moments before taking to the skies.

A soldier from the Pathfinder platoon of the Parachute Regiment jumps into Ex Swift Response 2022

Soldiers from 16 Air Assault Brigade’s Pathfinders completing a HALO jump

Under the cover of darkness the elite reconnaissance soldiers insert into the exercise.

A Paratrooper from the Pathfinder platoon approached the end of his descent.

British PathFinders jump high altitude low opening into North Macedonia as part of Exercise Swift Response 2022

A British Paratrooper on the ground in North Macedonia as part of Ex Swift Response after conducting a HALO jump.

Ready for the challenges ahead, the elite soldiers will now operate behind ‘enemy’ lines while deployed on Ex Swift Response.

See related articles here:

• Thousands of British troops support NATO in Europe
• 📸 In Pictures: Exercise Swift Response
• British Army’s heavy armour deploys with NATO to Poland

Find out where else the UK Armed Forces are deployed here👇