Looking for moments when a great photographer meets Special Forces and their firearms? Look no further, TFB’s daily article series – Photo Of The Day – is where you will find these amazing masterpieces. The photo above is an exceptional catch, where Australian Army special operations force soldiers from the 1st Commando Regiment rendezvous in a wheat field near the You Yangs, north of Geelong.
They have just parachuted from a Royal Australian Air Force C-130J Hercules aircraft as part of Exercise Star Leopard in November of 2021 and didn’t have a lot of time to take in the spectacular views of the You Yangs, Port Phillip or the Werribee Plains before landing in fields adjacent to the Avalon Airport.
The 2nd Commando Company was established in 1955 as one of two independent commando companies to maintain the Army’s unconventional warfare skills and techniques learned by Australian commandos in the Second World War.
An Australian Army special operations force soldier from the 1st Commando Regiment conducts a military free-fall parachute jump from a Royal Australian Air Force C-130J Hercules aircraft near RAAF Base Williams, Point Cook, Melbourne, as part Exercise Star Leopard on Saturday, 20 November 2021.
Many of the 2nd Commando Company soldiers on Exercise Star Leopard are part of the Army Reserve and combine regular jobs with challenging part-time roles in the Australian Army.
Did you ever jump out of an aircraft?
Photos by SGT Jake Sims, Australian Army, 1st Commando Regiment.