# 13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment [France]



## tomahawk6 (28 Apr 2013)

France seems to have alot of special forces.The 13RDP which is part of COS specializes in HUMINT.Nice cammo.Taken in Sweden where they were on exercise.







Some pictures of the 13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment (13ième RDP,part of the french COS) which was in Sweden in March 2013for an exercize with the K4, the swedish training battalion in extreme environments . The 13th Parachute Regiment Dragoons is the french HUMINT specialized SOF regiment.
















http://le.cos.free.fr/13rdp.htm


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## Good2Golf (28 Apr 2013)

Is that an AimPoint looking THROUGH a EOTech in the bottom picture?  ???


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## IRepoCans (28 Apr 2013)

Good2Golf said:
			
		

> Is that an AimPoint looking THROUGH a EOTech in the bottom picture?  ???



Nope its a L3/EOTech 3x Magnifier, pretty popular on carbines.


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## Good2Golf (28 Apr 2013)

IRepoCans said:
			
		

> Nope its a L3/EOTech 3x Magnifier, pretty popular on carbines.



That makes more sense.  Thanks.

G2G


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## larry Strong (28 Apr 2013)

Is there a reason they are using the M4 and not the FAMAS?




Larry


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## MikeL (28 Apr 2013)

Larry Strong said:
			
		

> Is there a reason they are using the M4 and not the FAMAS?
> 
> 
> 
> ...




IMO it looks like one has a FN SCAR and the other has a HK 416.


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## larry Strong (28 Apr 2013)

You are correct. Thanks for that 


Larry


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## Towards_the_gap (28 Apr 2013)

It's not nice camo, it's just dual purpose.....

Yeah I just made a white flag joke, about time someone did....


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## IRepoCans (29 Apr 2013)

Scary thing about 13th RDP is that its a Regimental sized Special Operations unit dedicated to Special Reconnaissance (specifically HUMINT). Goes to show that some commands value HUMINT a lot more than others.


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## Container (29 Apr 2013)

Why would they be parachute dragoons?

Im a little confused. Is it a heritage thing?


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## Towards_the_gap (29 Apr 2013)

Container said:
			
		

> Why would they be parachute dragoons?
> 
> Im a little confused. Is it a heritage thing?



Yeah I noticed that too but was too fazed by the ludicrous thought of a parachuting dragoon that my mind instantly pushed it out of my conciousness.


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## IRepoCans (29 Apr 2013)

Yeah its their heritage, they originally were a Dragoons Regimented raised in 1676, the regiment's duties changed during the Second World War into long range patrolling and reconnaissance.

 Granted the idea of parachuting dragoons would be something to see in action.  ;D


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## Kirkhill (29 Apr 2013)

Would it be easier to accept Para Hussars?


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## Tank Troll (29 Apr 2013)

The 8CH (PL) and then the RCD had a jump troop so not a totally strange concept.


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## cupper (29 Apr 2013)

Tank Troll said:
			
		

> The 8CH (PL) and then the RCD had a jump troop so not a totally strange concept.



Did they have to go through a mental evaluation to determine who was crazy enough to parachute in a tank? ;D


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## Ostrozac (30 Apr 2013)

If you ever get to Fayetteville, North Carolina, check out the Airborne and Special Operations Museum. They have a decent display explaining the history of the 82nd Airborne's tank battalion, including a Sheridan tank done up as it was for the Panama invasion. And the 82nd's tank crews jumped with their own chutes, not inside their vehicles.  As did Canadian Airborne Armoured Recce.


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## Tank Troll (30 Apr 2013)

cupper said:
			
		

> Did they have to go through a mental evaluation to determine who was crazy enough to parachute in a tank? ;D



Actually you can get tankers to most anything.....................as long as we don't have to get off the tank  ;D


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## Humphrey Bogart (30 Apr 2013)

IRepoCans said:
			
		

> Scary thing about 13th RDP is that its a Regimental sized Special Operations unit dedicated to Special Reconnaissance (specifically HUMINT). Goes to show that some commands value HUMINT a lot more than others.



France also maintains a 9000 man airborne brigade.  Reason for this is due to all of their Colonial interests in Africa.  Google Pacte Coloniale sometime.  When France gave independence to its colonials one of the conditions was that it would continue to be granted unrestricted access to their mineral resources.  Because of this, France maintains light and agile military forces capable of rapidly intervening in all of their former colonies.  They have roughly 10,000 permanent forces stationed in Africa at any given time.  

I will provide some reference maps so you can see what I am talking about:


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## tomahawk6 (14 May 2013)

Really well done video of the RDP in action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7zYksYADEis


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