First Jumps of Serbian Armed Forces Youngest Paratroopers
Tuesday, 12.11.2024 | Training
Parachute jumping by soldiers on voluntary military service and young officers recently assigned to initial duties in the 63rd Parachute Brigade is underway at the "Sergeant-Pilot Mihajlo Petrović" military airport in Niš.
This is the final segment of the basic parachute training. Jumps are carried out from Mi-17 helicopters in day and night conditions, with the use of modern parachutes.
The parachuting instructor in the paratrooper training company of the 63rd Parachute Brigade points out that as part of the ground part of the training, the participants first had physical preparation for the efforts ahead in performing the jump, as well as a simulation of the jump at the parachute training area.
— After the ground training, we started performing parachute jumps based on the program that every paratrooper must complete. It consists of four parachute jumps. The first jump is to familiarize yourself with the parachute, from a height of 800 meters, the second is the opening of the reserve parachute according to the task, the third is a jump with equipment and weapons and the fourth is a night jump - emphasized the parachuting instructor.
One of the trainees, a young officer who recently took up his duties in the 63rd Parachute Brigade, says that there is a special feeling during the first parachute jump.
— What left the biggest impression on me during today's jump was that separation from the aircraft where you feel so much lightness in your body, and after that the parachute ride is so beautiful that it is difficult to describe. Landing and jumping is something we've been preparing for for three weeks, so we were ready for all of this — he explained.
The soldier who is on voluntary military service points out that he always wanted to become a member of the 63rd Parachute Brigade and that he is satisfied with his first jump.
— Since I was a child, I dreamed of serving and working in the 63rd Parachute Brigade, that's why I signed up for voluntary military service. It is a great privilege and honor to serve in an elite unit of the Serbian Armed Forces. Parachute training was hard and intense, but I came here already physically ready, so it wasn't hard for me - said the soldier.
Upon successful completion of the basic four-week parachute training, the participants acquire the title of paratrooper, and the soldiers acquire the condition that, after completing their military service, they become professional members of the 63rd Parachute Brigade.
