Parachutist Badge

The Parachutist Badge or Parachutist Brevet is a military badge awarded by the Armed Forces of most countries in the world to soldiers who receive the proper
parachute training and accomplish the required number
of jumps. It is dicult to assess which country was the
rst to introduce such award. During World War II most
belligerent countries used such badges or awards.

Paratrooper badges of various countries.

1
1.1

France
Army

The School of Airborne Troops oversees dierent

courses.
1.1.1

Military Parachute Trainee

The Military Parachute Trainee Badge (French: Brevet de

prparation militaire parachutiste (PMP)) is a badge created in 1965 and aimed at reservists and national service
personnel. The laureates of the Badge could serve in airborne units and eventually train at the Airborne School
for the Military Parachute Badge in a short course. Since
the end of the conscription in France, the PMP Badge is
awarded to prospective soldiers in airborne units after a
4 weeks course.
created in 1980 and aimed at military personnel outside
of airborne units. It was awarded for four daytime jumps.
The BIMP course was closed in 1994 for French personThe Military Parachuting Initiation Badge (French: nel, but the Badge is still awarded to members foreign
Brevet d'initiation au parachutisme militaire (BIPM)) was militaries after a short course at the Airborne School.
1.1.2

Military Parachute Initiation

2
1.1.3

1 FRANCE
Military Parachute

1.1.6 High-altitude Parachute Instructor

The Military Parachute Badge (French:
Brevet
parachutiste militaire (BPM)) is the standard course
for every personnel in airborne units and all graduates of
the cole spciale militaire de Saint-Cyr. It was created
in 1946 and is awarded for six jumps, three daylight
standard jumps, one daylight jump with the reserve
parachute, one night jump without equipment, one night
jump with full gear and equipment.
1.1.4

Parachute Monitor

The High-altitude Parachute Instructor (French: Brevet

d'instructeur au saut en ouverture commande retarde
(INSOCR)) is awarded to long-serving NCO in airborne
units wishing to become jumpmasters in Free Fall jumping. All graduates must have nished the Operational
Free Fall course and serve some years in an airborne unit
using HALO/HAHO techniques.

1.2 Air Force

The Parachutist Monitor Badge (French: Brevet de moniteur parachutiste) is awarded to long-serving NCO in
airborne units. Its graduates can teach the basics of
parachute jumping to trainees, act of technical advisors
on parachute matters and be jumpmasters both in units
or at the Airborne Schools.
1.1.5

Operational Free Fall

The Operational Free Fall Badge (French: Brevet de

chuteur oprationnel) is awarded to graduates of long
courses in Military Free Fall techniques. All graduates
must have at least nished the Military Parachute Course
and have some years of experience in airborne units. The
Operational Free Fall Badge is part of the pipeline training for special forces and for commando platoons within
the Airborne units.

There is no Airborne School in the Air Force ; jump

training is held at the (Army) Airborne School, but some
the Air Force uses some specic badges for advanced
parachute training.
1.2.1 Military Parachute Initiation

3
The Military Parachuting Initiation Badge is awarded 4 The Netherlands
to graduates of a short course at the (Army) Airborne
School, where the only students are Air Force cadets. It The parachute course are done by the Defensie Para
is awarded after four daytime jumps.
School.[1] The Armed Forces of the Netherlands know
9 types of para wings:
1.2.2

Military Parachute Badge

B brevet (Automatic Opening/ Static

Line)(obsolete).
Prerequisite: 4 jumps, and
normally the certicate was given for the so-called
grensverleggende Activiteiten
A brevet, Operational Parachutist, Static Line.
Prerequisite: 8 jumps, and the last 3 have to be
done with gear and weapon, and the last one needs to
be made at night. Maximum altitude: 400 meters.
The course is done by members of 11th Airmobile
Brigade and Royal Netherlands Marine Corps.
SLS brevet, Operational Parachutist, Static
Line, Square.. The same as the A certicate, with
the last one with gear and weapon, and the last one
needs to be made at night. Only for the reconnaissance platoons of the Royal Netherlands Marine
Corps

The Military Parachute Badge (Air Force) is awarded

to Air Force personnel, already graduates of the (Army)
Airborne School, serving in the Fusiliers Commandos de
l'Air, the airborne infantry units of the Air Force. A minimum of 30 jumps is required for the award of the Air
Force badge.

1.2.3

Special Parachute

The Special Parachute Badge (French : Brevet de

parachutiste spcialis) is the Free Fall badge of the Air
Force. It is awarded after long courses at both the (Army)
Airborne School and the Fusiliers Commandos Training
Squadron.

Germany

Main article: Parachutist Badge (Germany)

Hungary

Main article: Parachutist Badge (Hungary)

B brevet, Parachutist Free Fall: Of the at least 20

jumps, 3 have to be made with Accelerated Free
Fall method, also a night jump has to be done. This
certicate is mostly done by Parachutist riggers, and
Royal Netherlands Air Force Oxygen Supervisors.
C brevet, Operational Parachutist, Free fall.
Prerequisite: 20 jumps, again 3 jumps with gear and
weapon, 2 night jumps, one with gear and weapon,
maximum altitude is 4.000 meters. All Army
Commandos, need to do the course during the Phase
3 of the Commando Course, and members of the
MARSOF of the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps.
C-OPS brevet, Operation Parachutist, Free fall.
Prerequisite: 10 jumps, during day and night, 8
jumps with gear, navigation console and weapon, 5
need to be made with backpack. The maximum altitude is 4.000 meters, 3 need to be a precision jump.
Advanced course after the C certicate course, it focus on group jumps, and the course is for operators
of the Army Commandos.
D brevet, HALO/HAHO. Prerequisite: The
amount of jumps depend on the prociency of the
student and the jumps are with a maximum altitude of 10.000 meters with oxygen. The course
is only done by Commando groups, who are specialised in HALO/ HAHO jumps, and instructors
of the Parachutist Training Group.
Operational Wings: Rare wing, only given to
members of Task Force 55, after a successful insertion in Afghanistan, in 2009. For the rst time since
1949, an operational jump was made again, the last
time it happened on 10 March 1949 in Indonesia.

UNITED KINGDOM

Dispatcher/ Instructor wing: Rewarded after the

dispatcher course, with a prociency in Static Line
and Free fall

Philippines

Main article: AFP Parachutist Badge

The AFP Parachutist Badge[2] also known as the Airborne Badge is awarded by the Chief of Sta, AFP to
AFP Personnel, Military Cadets, and Ocer Candidates
who have satisfactorily completed the requirements of the
Basic Airborne Course[3] set forth in the POI conducted
by the Airborne School, Special Forces Regiment (Airborne).[4]

Poland

The Polish Odznaka Spadochronowa was based on the

previous award called the Odznaka Pilota Wojskowego,
or Military Pilot Badge. It was rst introduced by notable
Polish sculptor Wadysaw Gruberski in 1919 and was accepted shortly afterwards as the sign of all the pilots of the
Polish Air Forces. The badge featured an eagle with wide
spread wings, holding a laurel wreath in his bill.
In 1941, after the creation of the UK-trained 1st Independent Parachute Brigade, a similar symbol was adopted as
the sign of all Polish paras. It featured a diving silver
eagle. The symbol was also adopted by the cichociemni
and nowadays is used by all branches of the Polish Army.
Also, the Polish special unit GROM adopted a modied
version of the symbol as its emblem. It is commonly
(though informally) referred to as gapa (diving Eagle).

Singapore

The Silver Wings is awarded upon successful completion

of the Basic Airborne Course conducted by the Parachute
Training Wing, School of Commandos. First awarded to
the pioneering graduating batch of 27 NSFs from Second
Company, 1st Commando Battalion (1 Cdo Bn) of the
Singapore Commandos Formation, it comprises a pair of
outspread wings on both wigs of a deployed parachute,
with the words SINGAPURA below the canopy. With Polish Odznaka Spadochronowa
the design sanctioned by 1 Cdo Bns Commanding Ofcer, Tan Kim Peng Clarence, it is dierentiated by a
crimson velvet backing for Commandos, while those of 8 United Kingdom
the Commando Parachute Jump Instructors have a golden
velvet backing. Non-Commandos wear the badge with- Main article: Parachutist Badge (United Kingdom)
out any backing.

United States

The United States Parachutist Badge (also commonly referred to as Jump Wings) is a military badge of the
United States Armed Forces which is awarded to members of the United States Army, Air Force, Marine Corps
and Navy.
After making ve more jumps in a jump billet, members
of the Navy and Marine Corps are authorized to wear
the gold wings of Naval and Marine parachutists in lieu
of their initial award of Army wings. There are three
versions of the Army Parachutist Badge.[5] The United
States Coast Guard is the only service which does not
issue a Parachutist Badge and does not have personnel
serving on jump status; however, Coast Guard members
are entitled to receive the Parachutist Badge of another
service if the proper training was received. The badge
is awarded to U.S. Armed Forces personnel upon completion of the United States Army Airborne School Basic
Airborne Course or freefall (not HALO) parachute training at the United States Air Force Academy, regardless
of branch or MOS.[6] The USAFA course is open only to
cadets and its training focuses on parachuting for aircrew
members who must exit from an aircraft in an emergency.
The training is not considered preparation for operational
parachute units.
If awarded, Army parachutists who meet the qualications and jump with a foreign service may also wear one
set of foreign wings on their Class A uniform.[7] According to AFI36-2903, page 139 (edition of 2 August
2006), Air Force personnel may wear foreign-awarded
jump wings while stationed in the awarding country or attending an ocial or social function hosted by the awarding government, and if the recipient has already been
awarded US jump wings.[8]
The original Army Parachutist Badge was designed
in 1941 by Lieutenant General (then Captain) William
P. Yarborough and approved by the Department of the
Army in March of that year. In addition to the Parachutist
Badge, U.S. Army paratroopers wore a paraglider patch
on the front left side (enlisted) or right side (ocers)
of the garrison cap. Until the late 1940s, glider units
were also included within Airborne divisions, hence the
parachute and glider on the cap. The garrison cap with
the paraglider patch was replaced by the maroon beret.
Troops of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), a
former parachute unit, continued to wear the garrison
cap with patch until the replacement of garrison caps by
the black beret worn by all personnel not already wearing maroon (Airborne) or green (Special Forces). When
the black beret was adopted Army-wide, Ranger units
switched from black to tan.
The U.S Navy and Marine Corps Parachutist badge
was originally known as the U.S. Navy Certied
Parachute Rigger badge and designed by American Insignia Company in 1942 for graduates of the U.S. Navy

Parachute Rigger School. During WWII, despite being

against uniform regulations it became common for U.S.
Marine Corps paratroopers who were issued the silver
U.S. Army Basic Parachutist badge to wear the gold Navy
Certied Parachute Rigger badge because they believed
the gold Rigger wings looked better on their uniform.[9]
This out of regulations wearing of the Parachute Rigger
badge became so common that in July 1963 the Commander of United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance Bruce F. Meyers sent a request to Chief of Naval
Operations Admrial George W. Anderson Jr. via Marine
Corps Commandant General David M. Shoup requesting
to ocially make the Navy Parachute Rigger badge the
parachutist badge for the Navy and Marine Corps. The
request was approved by Admiral Anderson on July 12,
1963 per BuPers Notice 1020.[10] Since 1963, being a
graduate of the U.S. Navy Parachute Rigger School is no
longer a requirement to earn the badge.
U.S. Army & Air Force Basic Parachutist Badge
U.S. Army & Air Force Senior Parachutist Badge
U.S. Army & Air Force Master Parachutist Badge
U.S. Army & Air Force Freefall Parachutist Badge
U.S. Army & Air Force Master Freefall Parachutist
Badge
U.S. Navy & Marine Corps Parachutist Badge (originally known as the U.S. Navy Certied Parachute
Rigger badge, 1942-1963)

10 Other countries
Argentina: In the Argentinian Army, personnel who
complete the basic parachutist training receive a
badge consisting of a silver winged parachute. A
golden badge is awarded to personnel after a certain service time spent at a parachute unit, after a
certain number of jumps and upon completion of
at least two more parachute-related courses besides
the basic one, such as rigger, jumpmaster, free-fall
jump, etc. This system replaced the one existing
until 1993, when ocers wore the golden badge,
NCOs the silver one and privates a smaller silver
one. Navy, Air Force and Gendarmerie parachutists
were similar badges to those of the Army.
Czechoslovakia:
Czechoslovak
awarded in three classes:
3rd Class[11]
2nd Class[12]
1st Class[13]

badges

were

12

REFERENCES

Spain
UK
Basic badge, USA

11.1 Former Countries

Canadian Jump Wings

Canada: The Canadian Airborne Regiment is the

most well known users of the Canadian Jump Wings
from its formation in April 1968 to March 1995.
Canadian Paratroopers with Canadian Jump Wings
date back to the days of the 1st Special Service Force
and 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion of World
War II. Currently members of JTF2, foreign service members who complete the Canadian basic
parachutist course will receive the jump wings, and
after the disbandment of the Canadian Airborne
Regiment in 1995, the Canadian army reverted to
its former practice of maintaining a parachute company within one of the battalions of each of the regular infantry regiments. The soldiers, at that time,
returned to their regimental homes and became a
company of the light battalion of each of their regiments (the 3rd Battalion The Royal Canadian Regiment, the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricias Canadian
Light Infantry and the 3rd Battalion Royal 22e Rgiment).

11

Gallery of badges from around

the world

Australia

East Germany
Nazi Germany
South Vietnam

12 References
[1] http://www.defensie.nl/organisatie/landmacht/inhoud/
eenheden/kct/defensie-para-school
[2] The AFP Adjutant General, AFP Awards and Decorations
Handbook, 1997, OTAG, p. 79-80.
[3] Military Parachuting
[4] Special Forces Regiment (Airborne)
[5] 578.74 Parachutist badges
[6] Airborne School
[7] Foreign badges authorized for acceptance and wear on the
Army Uniform
[8] http://www.afoats.af.mil/OTS/documents/AFI36-2903.
pdf
[9] Mason, Chris (2004). Paramarine!: Uniforms and Equipment of Marine Corps Parachute Units in World War II.
Schier Pub Ltd. pp. 175177. ISBN 9780764319242.

Bulgaria

[10] Evolution of Naval Wings (PDF). Coast Guard Aviation

History. THE U.S. COAST GUARD AVIATION ASSOCIATION.

Canada

[11] 3rd Class

The Czech Republic

[12] 2nd Class

Bronze class, Finland

[13] 1st Class

France
Bronze class, Germany
Honduras
Conscript class, Hungary
Italy
The Netherlands
Special Forces Parachute Badge, Oman
The Philippines
Poland

13
13.1

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

Text

Parachutist Badge Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parachutist_Badge?oldid=726534198 Contributors: Nv8200pa, Indefatigable,

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domain Contributors: Own work Original artist: jean-marc gourdon
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