The Pathfinder Company (Parachute) (, ) is a

pathfinder Pathfinder may refer to: Businesses * Pathfinder Energy Services, a division of Smith International * Pathfinder Press, a publisher of socialist literature Computing and information science * Path Finder, a Macintosh file browser * Pathfinder ( ...

and

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

unit within

Malaysian Army The Malaysian Army ( ms, Tentera Darat Malaysia; Jawi: تنترا دارت مليسيا) is the land component of the Malaysian Armed Forces. Steeped in British Army traditions, the Malaysian Army does not carry the title ‘royal’ () as do th ...

's 10th Parachute Brigade (10 PARA BDE). The unit is a small group of paratrooper who have been specially trained to carry out

special operations Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...

missions for the brigade. They trained together and have good relations with other

elite forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

in the

Malaysian Armed Forces The Malaysian Armed Forces (: MAF; ms, Angkatan Tentera Malaysia; Jawi: ), are the armed forces of Malaysia, consists of three branches; the Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy and the Royal Malaysian Air Force. The number of MAF active pers ...

, such as the Malaysian Army's 21st ''Gerup Gerak Khas'' and the

Royal Malaysian Air Force The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF, ms, Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia; TUDM; Jawi: ) was formed on 2 June 1958 as the Royal Federation of Malaya Air Force (; ). However, its roots can be traced back to the Malayan Auxiliary Air Force format ...

PASKAU The (, Jawi: ڤاسوكن خاص تنترا اودارا) – it is better known as PASKAU – is the special operations force of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF; ). Its main functions are to carry out high-value target protection, ground ...

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Salmuazhari Md Salleh is the current commanding officer of Pathfinder Company (Parachute), taking over from Major Huzairein Hj Yacob on 13 January 2022. The ''Pandura'' is equivalent to the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

Commando Parachute Group The Commando Parachute Group (french: Groupement des Commandos Parachutistes, GCP) is a unit of elite pathfinders within the French Army's 11th Parachute Brigade (France), 11th Parachute Brigade (11e BP). These pathfinders are paratroopers drawn ...

, which serves as the pathfinder unit for the 11th Parachute Brigade.

Origin

The unit was formed in 1995 as ''Platun Pandura'' () to meet the need for an infiltration team to enter the area of operations and provide navigation assistance and movement control for the main airborne forces. On 1 June 1999, the army command formally established the ''Pandura'' as a Malaysian army unit. As the platoon grew, the unit was expanded to the size of a company on 1 July 2008, and its name was officially changed to Pathfinder Company (Parachute). This unit is influenced by the

Pathfinder Platoon The Pathfinder Platoon is a pathfinder unit of the British Army, and an integral part of 16 Air Assault Brigade. The Pathfinder Platoon acts as the brigade's advance force and reconnaissance force. Its role includes locating and marking drop zon ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

Etymology

The term 'Pandura' is an

abbreviation An abbreviation (from Latin ''brevis'', meaning ''short'') is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase; for example, the word ''abbrevia ...

of the Malay word 'Pandu Arah Udara', which translates directly to 'Pathfinder'.

Roles

Initially, the ''Pandura'' Platoon's role was to provide 10 PARA BDE with navigation assistance and movement control, drops, plane flight, and landing in the exercise or operations area. Furthermore, they study, select, and mark out drop zones (DZ), landing zones (LZ), landing sites (LS), and plane landing points. ''Pandura'' paratroopers will infiltrate the target area and ensure its safety. There, they will provide navigation assistance so that the larger airborne force can accurately locate the landing area and be dropped as a cohesive force rather than in smaller teams. They can direct

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...

, and naval gun fire support (NGF). Later, many other combat elements, such as

snipers A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

and combat intelligence, were added to the ''Pandura'' Platoon, and the platoon was expanded into a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

size. ''Pandura'' paratroopers can act as a sniper team at the same time relaying information to aircraft pilots during operations. The ''Pandura'', with its diverse abilities, serves as the 10 PARA BDE's "eyes and ears". ''Pandura'' paratroopers were frequently chosen as instructors to teach jungle survival skills and combat tactics to local and international military units as an elite among the elite. The ''Pandura'' company, in close cooperation with the 10th Squadron (Parachute), Royal Army Engineers Regiment (The army's airborne

sapper A sapper, also called a pioneer (military), pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefie ...

), is also responsible for supervising the Para Integrated All Weather Multi Mission Range (PIAW), a shooting range owned by the 10 PARA BDE.

Formations

Because the unit is small and exclusive, there isn't much information available to the general public. However, only a few platoons in the ''Pandura'' company are well-known to the general public. The platoons are as follows:

Training

The new members of the 10 PARA BDE's ''Pandura'' Company were chosen based on combat qualifications and parachute insertion skills, including static line and free fall. ''Pandura'' paratroopers must also be able to operate visual aids and electronic equipment, as well as provide ground-to-air communication and drive various

off-road vehicles An off-road vehicle, sometimes referred to as an overland or adventure vehicle, is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of off-roading, driving on and off Pavement (material), paved or gravel surface. It is generally characteri ...

such as

all-terrain vehicles An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike, or simply a quad, as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI); is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, with a seat that is stra ...

and

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

. They must be able to interpret and value the weather, wind direction, conditions, and cloud height, as well as the visibility and safety of the landing area, in real time. ''Pandura'' paratrooper must have 'Mobility': the ability to operate by air, land and sea; and 'Flexibility': the ability to operate on short notice in a variety of ways, to deal with any type of contingency, whether low or high level. The ''Pandura'' Company's capabilities were extended on 11 August 2021. They were trained to parachute into the sea and swim to the coastlines in order to get behind enemy lines.

Preparatory course — unit level (4 weeks)

As a preparation for the actual pathfinder course conducted by the Special Warfare Training Centre (SWTC), the ''Pandura'' Company (Para) held a month of their own ''Pandura'' Course for the candidates.

Pathfinder course (7 weeks)

This 7-week course, known as ''Kursus Pandu Arah'' in Malay, is offered at SWTC. Members who complete the ''Pandura'' course will receive a ''Pandura'' badge. The following conditions must be met in order to receive the Pathfinder badge: * Pass basic parachute course * Pass pathfinder course

Basic free fall course (6 weeks)

Military free fall High-altitude military parachuting, or military free fall (MFF), is a method of delivering military personnel, military equipment, and other military supplies from a transport aircraft at a high altitude via free-fall parachute insertion. Tw ...

is the ''Pandura'' Company's specialty, which sets them apart from the other units in the 10 PARA BDE. This course is offered by SWTC and lasts 6 weeks.

Advanced training

Among the advanced training options available to ''Pandura'' Company paratroopers are: * Advanced free fall ( HAHO/HALO) *

Special reconnaissance Special reconnaissance (SR) or Recon Team is conducted by small units of highly trained military personnel, usually from special forces units or military intelligence organizations, who operate behind enemy lines, avoiding direct combat and detect ...

Sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

Close air support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and moveme ...

* Joint terminal attack controller

Killed in the line of duty

Equipment

Aside from free-fall equipment, the ''Pandura'' paratroopers relied on vital navigation systems such as the Operational Parachutist Navigational System (OPANAS) and the

Global Positioning System The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...

(GPS). They also use ground-to-air communication to communicate with aircraft for airborne force drops. The ''Pandura'' paratroopers carry the same combat equipment as the other 10 PARA BDE's infantry units, with the exception of the sniper team.