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Royal Marines load lightweight vehicles onto Osprey for the first time
9 July 2024
Royal Marines can now be deployed on raiding operations with their fast lightweight vehicles from the US Marines’ Osprey MV-22 tiltrotor aircraft after a successful trial in Australia.
For the first time a UK Polaris MRZR was loaded onto the unique Osprey aircraft as 40 Commando prepare for major joint exercises in Darwin, in Australia’s Northern Territory.
Fitting the MRZR onto the Osprey ultimately ensures Commandos can continue to operate seamlessly with the US Marines around the globe, wherever needed.
The turbocharged MRZR 4x4 can travel up to 60mph and enables Commandos to move fast, strike deep and get out before the enemy know what’s happened.
Coupling that with the ability to load onto the Osprey, means Royal Marines can be landed behind enemy lines, carry out raids and withdrawn quickly by the US Marines Corps.
Corporal Ben Fletcher was at the wheel, carefully reversing the MRZR onto the Osprey, with inches to spare on either of the vehicle.
The MRZR can also fit in the back of the Commando Merlin helicopter – the primary marine carrying aircraft of the Commando Helicopter Force, which are also deployed in Australia for the multinational exercise – named Predators Run.
The vehicles will be used on Predators Run – which takes place throughout the rest of July and into August, as Commandos carry out training with 1 Brigade of the Australian Army – which is being overhauled to have more of a focus on amphibious operations – the US Marines and other regional partners such as the Philippines and Timor.
The UK involvement is spearheaded by 40 Commando, which is at the centre of a task group – known as Littoral Response Group (South) – that is designed to bring the punch of the UK Commando Force to bear in the Indo-Pacific.
Two large support ships, RFA Lyme Bay and RFA Argus, are at the centre of LRG(S), carrying the personnel, vehicles, raiding craft, and aircraft needed for complex Commando Operations.
The two hulking ships left the UK last year, initially operating in the Eastern Mediterranean as the Israel-Hamas conflict unfolded – eventually delivering humanitarian aid – before sailing east of Suez in early 2024.
After a maintenance period, the Australian exercise becomes LRG(S)’s first major action of their Indo-Pacific deployment, with Predators Run proving that the task group is able to operate effectively with regional allies.
Ultimately, LRG(S) is designed to be a regular presence in the Indo-Pacific, bolstering the work of patrol ships HMS Spey and Tamar in the region and standing by to react to crises.
The same can be said for sister task group – Littoral Response Group (North), which, with 45 Commando as its spearhead, is held at readiness to deploy in Northern Europe, including the Baltic Sea and Arctic.
Lyme Bay arrived in Darwin last week to offload 40 Commando and their vehicles, including Viking Armoured Vehicles and the MRZR.
Argus carries an air group of Commando Merlin helicopters from 845 Naval Air Squadron.
After arriving last week, 40 Commando have been completing preparations for Predators Run, including training and skills sharing for Charlie Company’s Mortar Troop with Australian counterparts at Robertson Barracks, a major Australian Army base located in Holtze, an outer suburb of Darwin.
What Commandos are doing on Predators Run...
Commandos of Littoral Response Group (South) are testing their warfighting special operations capability across Australia’s harsh Northern Territory, delivering advance force operations in support of the Australian Defence Force to build their ability to operate in unison.
More than 400 UK Commandos have deployed Down Under for Predators Run and will be operating deep behind ‘enemy lines’ – finding and striking targets while working closely with 1 Brigade of the Australian Army along the coastline and in the bushland near Darwin.
The exercise brings together the UK, United States, Australia and other regional partners to increase their ability to fight and win together.
Two ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary – RFA Lyme Bay and RFA Argus – will be the launchpad for amphibious and helicopter raids, with three Commando Merlin aircraft from Yeovilton-based Commando Helicopter Force flying marines into the action.
Royal Marines from 40 Commando are the spearhead of the UK force – which deploy together as part of a Royal Navy task group, known as Littoral Response Group (South), that is designed to react to world events east of the Suez Canal and into the Indo-Pacific.
Two Commando company groups – Charlie and Bravo – of Taunton-based 40 Commando provide the main punch supported by experts from across the UK Commando Force, including engineers of 24 Commando, fire support from 29 Commando, logisticians of the Commando Logistic Regiment, medics and reconnaissance specialists from 30 Commando Information Exploitation Group.
Together the Commandos will provide reconnaissance but also strike high-value enemy targets, including command and control nodes and air defence assets, to allow larger follow-on forces to make amphibious landings.
Under the cover of darkness, the Commandos will be landed by specialist raiding craft and Merlin helicopters and will be operating up to 650 kilometres ahead of the main force, using their own resourcefulness to keep themselves in the fight without resupply for two weeks.
The Commandos will need to conceal themselves using carefully planned counter surveillance and physical camouflage techniques.
Commander of the Land Force of LRG(S), Lieutenant Colonel Oliver Denning RM, said: “Following a year focused on responding to national contingent operations, including in Sudan and the Eastern Mediterranean, Exercise Predators Run is an incredible opportunity for LRG(S) to rehearse and develop our special operations warfighting purpose. The opportunity to conduct that learning with key partners in this region is a privilege that we intend to seize.”
Predators Run provides an opportunity for the UK Commando Force to continue to explore how they operate as an advance force, ahead of a main allied force, be validated to respond to the nation’s most demanding contingencies, whilst developing their warfighting edge with key partners in the Pacific region. The exercise is a major milestone in the development of a lethal Commando Force.