MOD buys 890 parachutes as airborne force prepares for high-readiness role

The Ministry of Defence has purchased 890 additional parachutes as part of efforts to sustain the British Army’s airborne capability. The government says this is part of aligning with the Strategic Defence Review’s vision for the 16 Air Assault Brigade to lead land-domain crisis response at very high readiness.

The story was first reported by The UK Defence Journal based on a written parliamentary answer to Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty. Obese-Jecty had asked what had been done towards implementing last year’s Recommendation 45.

In the Strategic Defence Review 2025, Recommendation 45 stated, “Global crisis response at very high readiness in the land domain should be led by 16 Air Assault Brigade. Airborne parachute capability and capacity should remain focused on specialists and a single battalion group.”

In response to Obese-Jecty, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces Louise Sandher-Jones noted that airborne capability is achieved through a “combination of parachute equipment, trained personnel and supporting air delivery platforms.”

She added that the MoD is continuing to manage those elements to meet current operational requirements and that included ensuring airborne parachute capability is aligned with Recommendation 45.

Sandher-Jones revealed that the MoD has purchased 665 more Low-Level Parachutes and 225 Low-Level Reserve Parachutes in order to sustain current fleet levels.

The British Army’s elite 16 Air Assault Brigade

The 16 Air Assault Brigade was formed in 1999, and its core role is to maintain and command the Air Manoeuvre Task Force (AMTF). Under the 2025 Strategic Defence Review, it is to sit at the centre of the Army’s ability to respond quickly to overseas crises.

The AMTF comprises infantry and aviation battle groups held at very high readiness to deploy anywhere in the world to carry out the full spectrum of missions, from non-combatant evacuation operations to warfighting.

The unit is based in Colchester, Essex, and is at the “forefront of developing interoperability with the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and the French Army’s 11e Brigade Parachutiste.”

The unit was deployed to Kabul during Operation Pitting in August 2021 to assist in the evacuation as Afghanistan fell to the Taliban.

A company-sized force can be ready to deploy in around 48 hours, a battle group in around five days, and the bulk of the brigade within around 20 days.

Composition of the 16 Air Assault Brigade

The brigade is made up of around 6,000+ personnel, making it one of the largest brigades in the British Army, and falls under the 1st (UK) Division.

Its infantry elements include the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA and 3 PARA, the core parachute infantry); 4th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (Reserve); 1st Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles; 1st Battalion, and The Royal Irish Regiment.

Other elements include the 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, 23 Parachute Engineer Regiment, 13 Air Assault Support Regiment and Royal Logistic Corps, the 16 Medical Regiment, and the 216 Parachute Signal Squadron.

The brigade is working to be prepared for modern warfare and is adopting drones. In August, ADS Advance reported that The Parachute Regiment is flying blood by drones in exercises.