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Airdrop Paras onto beach at Luce Bay

HIGH WINDS disrupted plans to airdrop paras onto the beach at Torrs Warren at Luce Bay on Friday night as Exercise Eagle's Strike got underway in Galloway.

Six giant Hercules transport planes were able to drop heavy equipment, as our picture shows, between gusts but the six planes carrying 600 members of 16 Air Assault Brigade, landed their troops at West Freugh. Locals were out in force to see the start of the operation, which also involved some giant Chinook helicopters. Later days took the 1200 troops into the Galloway Forest.