A paratrooper or military parachutist is a soldier trained to conduct military operations by parachuting directly into an area of operations, usually as part of a large airborne forces unit. Traditionally paratroopers fight only as light infantry armed with small arms and light weapons, although some paratroopers can also function as artillerymen or mechanized infantry by utilizing field guns, infantry fighting vehicles and light tanks that are often used in surprise attacks to seize strategic positions behind enemy lines such as airfields, bridges and major roads.
The XVIII Airborne Corps is a corps of the United States Army that has been in existence since 1942 and saw extensive service during World War II. The corps is designed for rapid deployment anywhere in the world and is referred to as "America's Contingency Corps." Its headquarters are at Fort Liberty, North Carolina.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces, acronymed NEZAJA are the ground forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Ground Forces, acronymed NEZSA, are the ground forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC Ground Forces are more geared towards internal disorder than the regular Iranian Army. However, in recent years, the IRGC Ground Forces and by extension the entire IRGC, have transitioned to becoming an expeditionary force, capable of projecting power abroad, through conventional military operations or via proxies and unconventional warfare. There are at least around 150,000 IRGC Ground Force troops.
The maroon beret in a military configuration has been an international symbol of airborne forces since the Second World War. It was first officially introduced by the British Army in 1942, at the direction of Major-General Frederick "Boy" Browning, commander of the British 1st Airborne Division. It was first worn by the Parachute Regiment in action in North Africa during November 1942.
Operation Fath-ol-Mobin was a major Iranian military operation conducted during the Iran–Iraq War, in March 1982 and resulted to the Battle of Shush. The operation was led by Lt. General Ali Sayad Shirazi and was conducted in four phases.
Operation Beit-ol-Moqaddas, also known as the Operation Toward Beit-ol-Moqaddas, was an Iranian operation conducted during the Iran–Iraq War. The operation was a success, as it achieved its standing aim of liberating Khorramshahr and pushed Iraqi troops back to the border. This operation, coupled with Operation Tariq-ol-Qods, and Operation Fath-ol-Mobin, succeeded in evicting Iraqi troops from southern Iran and gave Iran the momentum.
These are the orders of battle of the Iraqi and Iranian armies for the start of the Iran–Iraq War in 1980. The data is drawn from the Air Combat Information Group's Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf Database.
The First Battle of Khorramshahr was a major battle in the Iran–Iraq War, beginning shortly after the Iraqi invasion of Iran in September 1980. Amidst the gruelling urban warfare in and around the city, Khorramshahr came to be referred to by the Iranians as Khuninshahr, as both sides had suffered heavy casualties in combat. It was the single largest urban battle of the Iran–Iraq war.
65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade, or the NOHED Brigade, is an airborne, special forces unit of the Iranian Army established in 1959.
This is a list of special forces units in Iranian Armed Forces and police.
The Saberin Takavar Brigade also known as Saberin Unit is an elite Takavar unit in the Ground Forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It is considered one of the best Takavar units in the Iranian Armed Forces, with decades of military and combat experience both at home and especially in overseas operations in neighboring countries. It is one of the most exclusive units in the IRGC, having at least 6,000 members, all of them volunteers and handpicked from the best and most capable units in the IRGC Ground, Air and Sea forces.
1st Marine Imam Hossein Brigade is a marines brigade of Islamic Republic of Iran Navy based in Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan. The unit is one of top Takavar units among Iranian Armed Forces. The brigade operates in Persian Gulf and is able to operate 3,000 kilometers away from its HQ.
55th Airborne Brigade of Shiraz is an airborne separate brigade of Ground Forces of Islamic Republic of Iran Army based in Shiraz, Fars province. It was engaged in the Iran-Iraq War.
Mohsen Gheytaslou was an Iranian Takavar and the first member of the 65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade to be killed in the Syrian Civil War. He was deployed to Syria in an advisory capacity and to protect holy shrines in the Syria. Ghitaslou was killed on 11 April 2016 in Syria.
31st Ashura Division was a division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It covers the provinces of East Azarbaijan, West Azarbaijan, and Ardabil.
25th Karbala Division was a division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
33rd Al-Mahdi Division was a brigade of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It was established on 24 February 1982 before Operation Fath ol-Mobin in the Iran–Iraq War, with Ali Fazli as its commander. It was part of the 7th Fajr Division for some time during the war. After Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas, there was some reform in the structure of the brigade, and Mohammad Jaafar Asadi was made as the commander, and remained the commander of the unit until the end of the war. On 24 April 1983 the brigade was separated from the 19th Fajr Division and became part of the newly founded 7th Corps. The brigade was turned into the 33rd Al-Mahdi Division after the successful Operation Dawn 8.
Operation Fath 1, or Operation Wahdat, was a joint Iranian and Iraqi Kurdish special operation conducted by Iran's IRGC special forces and Iraqi Kurdish partisans of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in 11 and 12 October 1986 in Kirkuk area of northern Iraq during the Iran–Iraq War. The Iranian and Kurdish forces infiltrated into the area and successfully attacked economic and military targets with minimal losses of their own.
The 110th Salman Farsi Special Operations Brigade is an SOF Takavar unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Ground Forces based in the city of Zahedan, in the province of Sistan and Baluchistan. The brigade is currently commanded by Brigadier General Hossein Almasi and part of the "Qods sector headquarters" in southeastern Iran.
Iran 
Islamic Republic of Iran Army 
