British and French Paratroopers Take Part in Major Airborne Exercise
London — Thousands of British and French troops have taken part in a wargame designed to show how NATO territory could be defended against an attack.
The exercise involved one of the largest airborne operations in the past 20 years, with British and French paratroopers jumping from Royal Air Force (RAF) transport planes over Germany.
The combined exercise comes at a time of heightened tension in Europe as a result of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, with Russian forces testing NATO’s borders and the Kremlin being blamed for arson, sabotage and assassinations in European nations.
Exercise Rhino Titan, held at the Sennelager military training centre in Germany, has been testing the UK’s 16 Air Assault Brigade against an enemy equipped with drones and electronic warfare, the kind of technology Russia could be expected to deploy.
Some 2,500 troops were involved in the exercise, including 600 British and French paratroopers dropped from four RAF A400M Atlas aircraft.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said: “The threats we face in the 21st century require an updated, modern approach to warfare – and our adaptable armed forces are preparing accordingly.
“Alongside our French and German allies, this large-scale training exercise shows we can deliver rapid, large-scale airborne power anywhere it’s needed to defend NATO territory.
“This combination of troops and specialized equipment is what is required to deter our adversaries and keep Britain and our allies safe.”
Brigadier Ed Cartwright, commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, said: “We have been given a realistic challenge to defend NATO territory and pitted against an enemy using drones and electronic warfare, which is what we would face on the modern battlefield.”
©2026 dpa GmbH. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
