Custom Search

Social Bookmarks
Bookmark to: Digg Bookmark to: Del.icio.us Bookmark to: Facebook Bookmark to: Mr. Wong Bookmark to: Webnews Bookmark to: Icio Bookmark to: Oneview Bookmark to: Linkarena
Bookmark to: Favoriten Bookmark to: Seekxl Bookmark to: Favit Bookmark to: Linksilo Bookmark to: Readster Bookmark to: Folkd Bookmark to: Yigg Bookmark to: Reddit
Bookmark to: StumbleUpon Bookmark to: Slashdot Bookmark to: Furl Bookmark to: Blinklist Bookmark to: Technorati Bookmark to: Newsvine Bookmark to: Blinkbits


Welcome SpecWarNet.net

SpecWarNet.net - Worldwide directory of special forces and government agencies
Your Online Source for info on Special Warfare and counter-terrorism Units!


Home

England's 5 Airborne Brigade Pathfinder Platoon

7NL Special Boat Section

Finmark 7th Jager Company

13eme Regiment de Dragon Parachutistes

148 Commando Forward Observation Battery

"Bassak" Swedish Naval Counter-SOF Unit

Bijzondere Bijstands Eenheid

Bear Force

Commandement des Fusiliers Marins Commandos

Commando Hubert

COMSUBIN

Commandement des Operations Speciales

Destacamento do Accoes Especiais ( DAE )

DINOPS

Dutch Special Forces

Attack Dykarna

Escadrille des Operations Speciales ( EOS )

EPIGN

Escadron Special D'Intervention

Idiko Tmima Alexiptotiston

EZAPAC

Fallskarmjagare

French Special Forces Overview

GCMC

GEK "Cobra"

GIGN

GIS

Grupo De Operacoes Especiais

GROM

Groupement Speciale Autonome (GSA)

GSG-9

Commando Helicopter Force ( CHF )

Irish Defense Force

Italy's 9th Para Bat

Jaegerkorpset

KSK Kommando SpezialKraefte

Kustjagare Coastal Rangers

Monada Ypovrixion Kastrofon

Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza

Ordningspolisens Nationella Insatsstyrka

The 5 Airborne Brigade's Pathfinder Platoon

Poland's GSP

Portugese Companhia de Precursores

Portugese LRRPs

French Police Nationale RAID

Rojdykaredivision

France's 1er RPIMa

Swedish Air Force Rangers

Special Air Service

Special Boat Squadrons

The Spanish Legion

Sweden's Special Protection Group

Swedish Elite Forces

Turkish Special Forces

Unidad de Operaciones Especiales

Portugese Companhia de Precursores


INTRODUCTION

This new Portuguese Army Brigade was created on January the 1st, 1994. The buildings, equipment and personnel used to form the new unit came from the Air Force's Corpo de Tropas Paraquedistas (Paratroopers Corp) and from the Regimento de Comandos do Exercito (Army Commandos Regiment), two special and well trained units, who were disbanded on December the 31st, 1993. This new unit was created in order to respond to the international agreements taken by Portugal, as a NATO or as a UN member. That is why the Brigade was assigned to be part of NATO's Rapid Reaction Force.





The Brigada Aerotransportada Independente (BAI) is the only brigade size elite troops great unit. Since it was created to be Army's number 1 priority it began to be the first unit used in “outside” (foreign) missions: Bosnia, Kosovo and East Timor. That is why one can say that the BAI leads the way.

AIRBORNE COMMAND CENTER - COMANDO DE TROPAS AEROTRANSPORTADAS ( CTAT )

The BAI depends on a regional command unit, the Comando de Tropas Aerotransportadas, from which other units depend: Escola de Tropas Aerotransportadas (ETAT) - Airborn School, Area Militar de S. Jacinto (AMSJ) - Military Camp of S. Jacinto, and Regimento de Infantaria 15 (RI15) - 15th Infantry Regiment.

This Airborne Command Center houses the Brigade Command, a Services and Command Company, a Transmissions Company and the Personnel Selection Center.

ESCOLA DE TROPAS AEROTRANSPORTADAS - ETAT - The School
This base houses 3 Battalions:

  • Batalhao de Instrucao (BI) - the Training Battalion
  • Batalhao de Apoio Aeroterrestre (BAAT) - Air and Land Support Battalion
  • Batalhao de Comando e Servicos (BCS) - Services and Command Battalion

  • Batalhao de Instrucao: Responsible for the military training and the Airborne Course. After completing this Airborne Course, that includes physical training and parachute techniques, the much wanted “Green Beret” is given to the candidates. But their training is not yet completed, they still need a specialty: demolitions, gunner, etc.





    This Battalion is also responsible for teaching other military personnel about tactics, weapons, etc when they are supposed to use weapons or to join a group that belongs to the Brigade.

  • Batalhao de Apoio Aeroterrestre: This Battalion houses the famous Precursores (Pathfinders), or Precs which are a special unit. Their mission is to be infiltrated by air, sea or land behind enemy lines and from there execute reconnaissance operations and prepare landing zones (LZ's), so that the Airborne Infantry Battalions can be launched from aircrafts. To be a Precursor the unit’s officers and sergeants must have attended the Airborne Instructor Course and passed. In this Battalion we can also find the Saltadores Operacionais de Grandes Altitudes (SOGA). They are Precursores personnel who can perform HAHO and HALO jumps. The SOGA is a Precursores specialty.

  • AREA MILITAR DE S. JACINTO - AMSJ - Military Camp
    This base houses:

  • 2? Batalhao de Infantaria Paraquedista (2BIPara) - 2nd Airborne Infantry Battalion - Companhia Anti Carro (CACar) - Anti-Tank Company
  • Companhia de Comando e Servicos (CCS) - Services and Command Company
  • Centro de Instrucao de Conducao Auto (CICA) - Driving Instruction Center

  • REGIMENTO DE INFANTARIA 15 - RI15 - 15th Infantry Regiment
    This base houses:

  • 1? Batalhao de Infantaria Paraquedista (1BIPara) - 1st Airborn Infantry Battalion
  • Batalhao de Apoio e Servicos (BAS) - Logistic Battalion
  • Companhia de Comando e Servicos (CCS) - Services and Command Company

  • OTHER UNITS THAT BELONG TO THE BAI
    In addition to these units there is an Artillery Group, an Anti-Aircraft Artillery Group, a Reconnaissance Squadron, an Engineering Company and a Military Police Squadron.
    OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE AND EQUIPMENT

    The Brigade is the operational part of the Airborne Command Center. It has 3000 soldiers, including privates, sergeants and officers. This is how the personnel is distributed:

  • 1? BIPara --> This Battalion was created in 1994 with the equipment and personnel that came from the Paratroopers Corp and from the Army's Commandos Regiment. It has 600 soldiers. This Battalion have:

    3 Companhias de Atiradores (CAT) - Combat Companies

    Equipment:

  • Israeli Galil rifles mod. AR and ARM 5,56 mm
  • German H&K machineguns mod. MG3 and MG42 7,62 mm
  • 60 mm mortars
  • Carl Gustav Cannons
  • 1 Comanhia Apoio de Combate (CAC) - Combat Support Company

    Equipment:

  • Browning 12,7 mm machinegun
  • Spanish 40 mm Grenade Launcher Santa Barbara
  • 81 mm mortars
  • Milan missiles with MIRA thermal vision





    1 Companhia de Comando e Servicos (CCS) - Services and Command Company

  • 2?BIPara --> This Battalion, like the 1st one, was created in 1994 with the former BOPT2 (Base Operacional Paraquedista 2 - 2nd Airborne Base) personnel. It has the same structure and equipments that the 1st Battalion has.

    The operational differences between this two Airborne Infantry Battalions is their mission. The 1st Battalion's mission is wild warfare, while the 2nd Battalions mission is urban warfare. But due to their training, they can perform each others missions.