Masters of the Desert
Pathfinders attached to the British Army’s 16 Air Assault Brigade hone their long-range patrolling skills, both mounted and on the ground, in the arid plains of Aqaba Governorate in southern Jordan on Exercise Olive Grove.
A Pathfinders soldier covers the rear of an observation post while his colleague searches for targets. MoD Crown Copyright. Note the HK 416s and the very U.S. SF looking kit, including contractor caps.
Pathfinders, mounted in a Coyote and Jackal patrol vehicles, stop to confer during a long range desert patrol on Exercise Olive Grove. Photo: MoD Crown Copyright
A Pathfinder photographs targets from an observation post in the mountainous deserts of Jordan on Exercise Olive Grove. Photo: MoD Crown Copyright
Like all pathfinders, “the unit is an advance force, trained in specialist airborne insertion techniques and capable of conducting offensive action tasks at very short notice. Soldiers are trained to operate behind enemy lines in small, self-sufficient patrols finding and relaying vital information back to Brigade HQ to enable it to plan and execute missions.”
3 Para dropped it like it was hot in Olive Grove.
Major Rick Lewin, Officer Commanding of C Company, 3 Para told said:
What we’re trying to do is demonstrate the way we operate and give the Jordanians an opportunity to decide if they like that. Simultaneously, our soldiers are doing precisely the same thing, they’re watching the Jordanians whose shooting on the range is incredibly accurate, and also they were moving through the cover incredibly efficiently and quickly, so this is very much going both ways all the way through.
Interested in the Coyote above? The Supacat-designed/Lockheed-Martin built Coyote tactical support vehicle, (TSV) light, is based on a 6×6 derivative of the Jackal 2 and supports the go-anywhere, high-mobility Jackals across the harsh Afghanistan terrain.