The Parachute Commandos Regiments (RPC) are Algerian parachute regiments. The regiments are part of the 17th Parachute Division of

Biskra Biskra () is the capital city of Biskra Province, Algeria. In 2007, its population was recorded as 307,987. Biskra is located in northeastern Algeria, about from Algiers, southwest of Batna, Algeria, Batna and north of Touggourt. It is nickna ...

of the

land forces Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of Earth not submerged by the ocean or another body of water. It makes up 29.2% of Earth's surface and includes all continents and islands. Earth's land surface ...

of the

Algerian People's National Army The People's National Army (PNA) () is the military of the Algerian republic. It is the direct successor of the National Liberation Army (ALN), the armed wing of the nationalist National Liberation Front, which fought French colonial rule d ...

. The regiments are "special troops" regiments by virtue of their missions and status.

History

The parachutists of the Algerian Army were not in the form of regiments but of groups. The first parachutist regiments were formed in the 1980s. The first regiments were the 4th, 12th and 18th RPC. The 1st RPC and the 5th RPC were created in 1995. The regiments were integrated into the Centre de Conduite et de Coordination des Actions de Lutte Anti-Subversive (CLAS) in 1995. The 6th RPC is the last regiment to been created as it was created in 2009. The parachute commandos belong to the 17th Parachute Division, which is a predominantly infantry division but with more sensitive missions than the infantry regiments. The 17th Parachute Division, created in 1991 by decree, is specialized in airborne combat and air assault, its main mission being emergency projection. Insigne para dz 1

Organization

The commando parachute regiments are composed of 6 parachute regiments and 3 auxiliary units: * Staff of the 17th Parachute Division (17th PD) in Biskra * 1st Commandos Parachute Regiment of

Tébessa Tébessa or Tebessa ( ''Tibissa'', ''Tbessa'' or ''Tibesti''), the classical Theveste, is the capital city of Tébessa Province in northeastern Algeria, near the border with Tunisia. It hosts several historical landmarks, the most important o ...

(1st RPC) * 4th Commandos Parachute Regiment of

Laghouat Laghouat () is the capital city, capital of the Laghouat Province, Algeria, south of the Algerian capital Algiers. Located in the Amour Range of the Saharan Atlas, the town is an oasis on the north edge of the Sahara Desert. It is an import ...

(4th RPC) * 5th Commandos Parachute Regiment of Ain Arnat (5th RPC) * 6th Commando Parachute Regiment of

Jijel Jijel (), the classical Igilgili, is the capital of Jijel Province in north-eastern Algeria. It is flanked by the Mediterranean Sea in the region of Corniche Jijelienne and had a population of 131,513 in 2008. Jijel is the administrative and trad ...

(6th RPC) * 12th Commando Parachute Regiment of

(12th RPC) * 18th Commandos Parachute Regiment of Hassi-Messaoud (18th RPC) * 1 Parachute Artillery Regiment * 1 Parachute Engineer Battalion * 1 Parachute Anti-Tank Battalion The regiments have a strength of about 700 men, between 9000 and 10000 paratroopers for the 17th DP. Airborne intervention is the main mode of action of parachutists, they are capable of engaging under armored protection with

BTR-80 The BTR-80 () is an 8×8 wheeled Amphibious vehicle, amphibious armoured personnel carrier (APC) designed in the Soviet Union. It was adopted in 1985 and replaced the previous vehicles, the BTR-60 and BTR-70, in the Soviet Army. It was first de ...

s or Fuchs 2s and tactical reconnaissance vehicles in a short time, and with weapons and equipment that can be dropped or heliborne into a combat zone. Each regiment has : * 1 General Staff * 3 Fighting Companies * 1 Logistics Company * 1 Anti-tank Company * 1 Support Company * 1 Transmission Company * 1 Air Defence Company The 12th RPC is a specialized regiment, with two special operations companies (41st and 45th companies) and specialized sections similar to the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

's Commando Parachute Group (GCP) or the U.S.

75th Ranger Regiment The 75th Ranger Regiment, also known as the United States Army Rangers, Army Rangers, is the United States Army Special Operations Command's premier light infantry and direct-action raid force. The 75th Ranger Regiment is also part of Joint S ...

. The regiments are the elite parachute regiment for conventional forces (excluding special forces).

Missions

Parachute commandos act primarily in the air-land environment, the parachutists provide the material and human resources to carry out the missions, and the commandos work directly with the other units. Parachute commandos have the following missions : * Strategic and special reconnaissance * Commando action * Counter-terrorism * Special Operations Air Mobile Support and Support (in collaboration with Special Forces) * VIP close protection * The recovery and protection of strategic objectives The RPC is very much present in border security missions, particularly on the Libyan border. The RPC have the status of "special troops" that are the equivalent of the

Training and coaching

Parachute cadets are trained at the Special Troops Training Centre (CFTS) (for non-commissioned men) which is part of the Special Troops Superior School (ESTS) (which trains non-commissioned officers and officers) in

, where they are trained in: * Weapons handling: pistol shooting and automatic rifle, among others. * Fighting in urban, desert, and forest areas, among others. * Survival in hostile environments. * Sabotage and demolitions. * Skydiving. * Fighting with bare hands and knives (with handguns or throwing). * Close combat, kuk sool won is taught to future parachutists. * Special operations techniques (reconnaissance operations, parachuting, patrolling inside enemy lines, intelligence gathering...). At the end of the course, the student is subject to a diploma examination. Some will go for advanced training at the commandos training centre (EFCIP) in Boghar. Para-commando units are organized on the model of the Russian Spetsnaz, and many officers and non-commissioned officers have undergone additional and specialized training in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The level of training there is advanced in all areas of individual and collective combat (close combat, shooting, sabotage, camouflage, reconnaissance, parachuting, interrogation of prisoners, etc.

Equipment and armament

Armament

Handguns

* Glock, Glock 17 & 18 *

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Assault rifle

* AKMS * AKM *

AK-103 The AK-103 is an assault rifle designed by Russian small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov. History The AK-103 was officially offered for export on March 13, 1993. Design details It is an AK-100 derivative of the AK-74M that is chambered ...

Machine gun

* RPD * RPK * PKM

Precision rifle

* Zatsava M93 Black Arrow * SVD * HK-G3 * M40A3

Shotgun

* SR 202P

Other

RPG-7 The RPG-7 is a portable, reusable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank, rocket launcher. The RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and are now manufactured by the Russian company Bazalt. The weapon has t ...

RPG-29 The RPG-29 "Vampir" is a Soviet Union, Soviet Reuse, reusable rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher. Adopted by the Soviet Army in 1989, it was the last RPG to be adopted by the Soviet Armed Forces, Soviet military before the Dissolution of the ...

* METIS-M1 * KORNET-E * SA-18 * QW-2 * AGS-17 * AGS-30

Personal equipment

* Spectra helmet, Fast-ops core * Special troops lattice (

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, desert woodland) * Tactical vest *

Bullet-proof vest Bulletproofing is the process of making an object capable of stopping a bullet or similar high velocity projectiles (e.g. Fragmentation (weaponry), shrapnel). The term bullet resistance is often preferred because few, if any, practical materials ...

* Plate carrier * Gloves * Knee and elbow pads * Thigh or Belt Holster * Rangers * Protective goggles * Camelback * Fighting bag

Vehicles

* Mercedes-Benz G Class in 4X4 and pick-up * Toyota Station in 4X4 or Pick-up *

Toyota Land Cruiser The , also sometimes spelt as LandCruiser, is a series of four-wheel drive vehicles produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. It is Toyota's longest running series of models. , the sales of the Land Cruiser totalled more than 1 ...

in 4X4 or Pick-up *

Mercedes-Benz Zetros The Mercedes-Benz Zetros is an off-road truck for extreme operations. It was first presented at the 2008 Eurosatory defence industry trade show in Paris. The Zetros is manufactured at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth am Rhein, Wörth, Germany. Th ...

* Ford F150 * Mercedes-Benz Unimog * SNVI M 120 * SNVI M 230 * SNVI M 260

Special vehicle

Humvee The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of Military light utility vehicle, light, four-wheel drive Military vehicle#Military trucks, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It ...

* Ford F-150 with ''Mobile Adjustable Ramp System'' (MARS) *

BTR 80 The BTR-80 () is an 8×8 wheeled amphibious armoured personnel carrier (APC) designed in the Soviet Union. It was adopted in 1985 and replaced the previous vehicles, the BTR-60 and BTR-70, in the Soviet Army. It was first deployed during the S ...

* Otokar Akrep * Fuchs 2

References

{{Reflist Military units and formations of Algeria Special forces of Algeria