A parachutist badge (or parachutist brevet) is a badge awarded by armed forces or paramilitary forces (e.g. certain law enforcement agencies) of many states to personnel who have received parachute training and completed the required number of jumps. It is difficult to assess which country was the first to introduce such an award.
France
Army
The School of Airborne Troops oversees different courses.
Military Parachute Trainee The Military Parachute Trainee Badge (French: Brevet de préparation 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 conscription in France, the PMP Badge is awarded to prospective soldiers in airborne units after a 4-week course.
Military Parachute Initiation
The Military Parachuting Initiation Badge (French: Brevet d'initiation au parachutisme militaire (BIPM)) was 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 personnel, but the badge is still awarded to members of foreign militaries after a short course at the Airborne School.
Military Parachute
The Military Parachute Badge (French: Brevet parachutiste militaire (BPM)) is the standard course for every personnel in airborne units and all graduates of the école spéciale 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.
Parachute Monitor
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 as technical advisors on parachute matters and be jumpmasters both in units or at the Airborne Schools.
Operational Free Fall
The Operational Free Fall Badge (French: Brevet de chuteur opérationnel) is awarded to graduates of long courses in Military Free Fall techniques. All graduates must have at least finished 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.
High-altitude Parachute Instructor
The High-altitude Parachute Instructor (French: Brevet d'instructeur au saut en ouverture commandée retardée (INSOCR)) is awarded to long-serving NCO in airborne units wishing to become jumpmasters in Free Fall jumping. All graduates must have finished the Operational Free Fall course and serve some years in an airborne unit using HALO/HAHO techniques.
Air Force
There is no Airborne School in the Air Force; jump training is held at the (Army) Airborne School, but the Air Force uses some specific badges for advanced parachute training.
Military Parachute Initiation
The Military Parachuting Initiation Badge is awarded to graduates of a short course at the (Army) Airborne School, where the only students are Air Force cadets. It is awarded after four daytime jumps.
Military Parachute Badge
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.
Special Parachute The Special Parachute Badge (French : Brevet de parachutiste spécialisé) 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 Nazi Germany Parachutist Badge (Nazi Germany), a World War II-era decoration in the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS.
German Democratic Republic Members of the Army Air Assault Regiment 40 of the German Democratic Republic's National People's Army were awarded the parachutist badge upon completion of the paratrooper training course.
Federal Republic of Germany
Military The parachutist badge of the Bundeswehr is awarded upon completion of the parachutist course conducted at the Airborne/Air mobile school at Altenstadt, Germany.
Allied forces who complete the requirements may also be awarded the German parachutist badge.
The badge is awarded in three levels: {| class=wikitable ! Level I | style="background-color:#C9AE5D; height:40px; text-align:center;"|Bronze | Completion of basic course and five jumps |- ! Level II | style="background-color:#C0C0C0; height:40px; text-align:center;"|Silver | 20 jumps |- ! Level III | style="background-color:#FFDF00; height:40px; text-align:center;"|Gold | 50 jumps |} The badge features a stylized parachute surrounded by a wreath of oak leaves which are flanked on the left and right side by stylized wings.
Federal Police Members of the Federal Police's GSG9 who are specially qualified in parachuting, including High-altitude military parachuting and are assigned to the parachuting section are awarded the GSG9's parachutist badge.
Hungary
Since 14 December 2021, Hungarian Defence Forces parachute-qualified personnel are permitted to wear an embroidered version of the 1940 skull and crossed knives badge again. It is formally called 1940/2021M Parachutist Badge.
India
The regimental badge for the Parachute Regiment is an open parachute, partially behind a circle with the word "Parachute" at the top and a scroll at the bottom with the word "Regiment"; wings are spread out from the circle, and a dagger is superimposed on the parachute and upper portion of the circle; the whole in silver metal. As with much of the world's parachute forces, the normal headgear is a maroon beret, although there is a maroon turban for Sikh personnel.
The special forces, which form part of the Parachute Regiment, have a distinct insignia called Balidaan, which has a commando dagger point downwards, with upward-extending wings extending from the blade and a scroll superimposed on the blade with "Balidaan" inscribed in Devanagari; the whole in silver metal on an upright red plastic rectangle.
Italy The Italian Armed Forces issue four different degrees of the Military Parachutist Badge, common to all services, as follows: Military Parachutist (). The basic military qualification badge. War Parachutist (). Same as the Military Parachutist Badge, but in golden metal. Awarded as an honor mark to WW2 paratrooper veterans, and to present-day paratroopers after 30 years of jump-status. Jumpmaster Parachutist (). Same as the Military Parachutist Badge, but on a red cloth background. High-Altitude Launch Qualified Raider (). Similar to the US Military Freefall Parachutist Badge, awarded only to Special Forces personnel. Military personnel qualified and a civilian parachutist can be allowed to use the relative insignia on the uniform, called the Jump Qualified Parachutist badge (). The Qualified Parachutist badge is awarded by the Italian Army and is similar to the Military Parachutist one, but without the star.
The Netherlands
School Parachute courses are conducted by the "Defensie Para School". The Armed Forces of the Netherlands recognize nine types of parachutist wings:
B brevet (Automatic Opening/Static Line) Prerequisite: 5 jumps. The certificate and brevet are awarded by the Dutch sport parachute centres at Texel and Teuge, and may also be awarded by other Dutch centres if authorized. It is also awarded to foreign jumpers who qualify on Dutch soil.
A brevet, Operational Parachutist, Static Line Prerequisite: 8 jumps, with the last 3 completed with gear and weapon, and the final jump at night. Maximum altitude: 400 meters. The course is completed by members of the 11th Airmobile Brigade and the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps.
SLS brevet, Operational Parachutist, Static Line, Square Same requirements as the A brevet, with the last jump completed with gear and weapon at night. Only awarded to reconnaissance platoons of the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps.
C brevet, Operational Parachutist, Free Fall Prerequisite: 20 jumps, including 3 with gear and weapon, 2 night jumps (one with gear and weapon). Maximum altitude: ±4,000 meters. All Army Commandos complete this course during Phase 3 of the Korps Commandotroepen Course, as do members of the NLMARSOF of the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps.
C-OPS brevet, Operational Parachutist, Free Fall
Prerequisite: 10 jumps, performed both during the day and night; 8 jumps with gear, navigation console, and weapon, 5 of which must include a backpack. Maximum altitude: 4,000 meters, with 3 precision jumps. This advanced course follows the C brevet and focuses on group jumps. It is intended for Army Commando operators.
D brevet, HALO/HAHO Prerequisites depend on the student’s proficiency. Jumps are conducted at a maximum altitude of 10,000 meters using oxygen. The course is only completed by Commando groups specialized in HALO/HAHO jumps, as well as instructors of the Parachutist Training Group.
Operational Wings A rare award, last issued to a member on 10 March 1949 in Indonesia. It was awarded again for the first time since 1949 to 9 members of the Korps Commandotroepen, Task Force 55, after a successful insertion in Afghanistan in 2009; the second time in 2016 to 32 members of the Korps Commandotroepen, Special Operations Land Task Group in Mali, after a successful insertion in 2015; and the third time in 2017 to 8 members of the NLMARSOF Land Task Group in Mali, also following a successful insertion in 2015.
Dispatcher/Instructor wing Awarded after completion of the dispatcher course, recognizing proficiency in both Static Line and Free Fall.
Philippines
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Parachutist BadgeThe AFP Adjutant General, AFP Awards and Decorations Handbook, 1997, OTAG, pp. 79–80. also known as the "Airborne Badge" is awarded by the Chief of Staff, AFP to AFP Personnel, Military Cadets, and Officer Candidates who have satisfactorily completed the requirements of the Basic Airborne CourseMilitary Parachuting set forth in the POI conducted by the Airborne School, Special Forces Regiment (Airborne).Special Forces Regiment (Philippines)
Poland
The Polish Odznaka Spadochronowa was based on the previous award called the Odznaka Pilota Wojskowego, or Military Pilot Badge. It was first introduced by notable Polish sculptor Władysław 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 modified 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 batch of 27 NSFs from 2nd Company, 1st Commando Battalion (1 CDO BN) of the Commandos formation, it comprises a pair of outspread wings on both wigs of a deployed parachute, with the word "SINGAPURA" below the canopy. With the design sanctioned by 1 CDO BN's Commanding Officer, Tan Kim Peng Clarence, it is differentiated by a crimson velvet backing for Commandos, while those of the Commando Parachute Jump Instructors have a golden velvet backing. Non-Commandos wear the badge without any backing.
Spain