South African Airborne Operations

dc.creator	McGill Alexander
dc.date	2012-02-01T00:00:00Z
dc.date.accessioned	2015-07-20T20:09:48Z
dc.date.available	2015-07-20T20:09:48Z
dc.identifier	10.5787/31-1-144
dc.identifier	2224-0020
dc.identifier	https://doaj.org/article/17388307b5ba44d787a26565a18f7978
dc.identifier.uri	http://evidence.thinkportal.org/handle/123456789/9302
dc.identifier.uri	https://doaj.org/article/17388307b5ba44d787a26565a18f7978
dc.description	<p>Airborne operations entail the delivery of ground troops and their equipment by air to their area of operations. They can also include the subsequent support of these troops and their equipment by air. Historically, and by definition, this would encompass delivery by fixed-wing powered aircraft, by glider, by parachute or by helicopter.</p> <p>Almost any troops can be delivered by most of these means. However, the technical expertise and physical as well as psychological demands required by parachuting have resulted in specialist troops being selected and trained for this role. Some of the material advantages of using parachute troops, or paratroops, are: the enormous strategic reach provided by the long-distance transport aircraft used to convey them; the considerable payload which these aircraft are capable of carrying; the speed with which the parachute force can deploy; and the fact that no infrastructure such as airfields are required for their arrival. Perhaps most attractively to cash-strapped governments, the light equipment scales of parachute units’ makes them economical to establish and maintain.</p> <p>There are also less tangible advantages: the soldiers selected are invariably volunteers with a willingness or even desire to tackle challenges; their selection and training produces tough, confident and aggressive troops, psychologically geared to face superior odds and to function independently from other units; and their initiative and self-reliance combined with a high level of physical fitness makes them suitable for a number of different and demanding roles.</p>
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy)
dc.relation	http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/144
dc.relation	https://doaj.org/toc/2224-0020
dc.source	Scientia Militaria : South African Journal of Military Studies, Vol 31, Iss 1 (2012)
dc.subject	Airborne operations
dc.subject	delivery of ground troops and their equipment by air to their area of operations
dc.subject	advantages of using parachute troops
dc.subject	paratroops
dc.subject	long-distance transport aircraft
dc.subject	delivery by fixed-wing powered aircraft, by glider, by parachute or
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	DOAJ:Military Science
dc.subject	DOAJ:Technology and Engineering
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	DOAJ:Military Science
dc.subject	DOAJ:Technology and Engineering
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.subject	Military Science
dc.subject	U
dc.title	South African Airborne Operations
dc.type	Article