Ferro Concept’s booth was packed with visitors as well as new products. One that it is ready to go and can be put into service quickly with MFF jumpers is the Expandable Jump Bag – Medium.
For many years, military freefall jumpers have placed their armor, load carriage, and packs within a jump bag to help streamline their bodies and avoid hazards from equipment being hung up while inside or exiting the aircraft. This can also help protect equipment on landing. One item that generally remains handy is the individual weapon. Ferro Concept took on the challenge to create a new bag which can be expanded, via a spiral zipper, as needed to contain the jumper’a individual equipment.
As you can see, the interior is quite large and has ample space for the individual’s vest and pack. The foam is not used operationally but rather to maintain the form of the bag while empty for exhibition. Straps on the exterior allow the jumper to cinch the bag tight around the load.
Here you can see how the jumper’s weapon attaches to the Jump Bag. It can quickly be removed and placed into action.
It attaches to the Equipment D Ring via snap shackles (Pelican Clips).
Once on terra firma, the Jump Bag will contain the parachute and harness as well as any other air items for either turn-in or caching prior to transitioning to overland movement. It incorporates shoulder straps.
I’ll wrap this up by pointing out that the product’s name indicates there are other sizes in the works and we’ll cover those once they are available.
Hasler proposed a solution to a persistent operational problem: German shipping operating from the occupied port of Bordeaux, which had proven difficult for British Bomber Command to interdict. His plan envisioned a ten-man raiding force launched by submarine outside the mouth of the Gironde Estuary. From there, the team would paddle more than eighty miles during periods of limited visibility, emplace limpet mines on enemy shipping, and then evade by any means available, with the ultimate goal of returning to the United Kingdom.
Operation Frankton validated the concept of kayak-borne raiding and directly influenced the development of British maritime special operations doctrine. During this same period, multiple parallel kayak development efforts were underway in the United Kingdom, refining folding designs and techniques that would later inform the Special Boat Service (SBS) and allied units.
Following the Second World War, kayaks remained in service with special operations forces in the United Kingdom, Europe, Africa, Asia and the United States. One of the most compelling post-war examples comes from the Rhodesian Bush War.
Kayaks enabled silent night movement, an extremely low visual and acoustic signature, and continuous repositioning without reliance on fixed bases, vehicles, or aircraft. This operation remains one of the most extreme examples of fieldcraft, endurance, and waterborne stealth in modern special operations history. Conceptually, it aligns more closely with Second World War SBS and Combined Operations Pilotage Party (COPP) missions than with later helicopter-centric SOF models.
Launching at night from offshore, the team paddled in extreme South Atlantic weather to avoid detection. Once ashore, the kayaks were cached and the patrol transitioned to foot movement to conduct reconnaissance of aircraft disposition, defensive routines, and terrain.
When I arrived at 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), I sought assignment to an Underwater Operations Detachment commonly referred to as a dive team. Within three months, I had completed pre-scuba training and the Combat Diver Qualification Course (CDQC). My first deployment took me to Aqaba, Jordan, where kayak infiltration using Klepper folding kayaks was one of the methods we rehearsed.
Over the course of my career, we used kayaks for infiltration training, mothercraft launches, helocasting, and shore insertions. They were also used for long-distance paddling as physical training, team building, and on occasion as improvised fishing platforms. We rehearsed operational employment during a counter-narcotics mission that was ultimately cancelled due to circumstances outside our control.
Over several months, I restored the frame to operational condition and sourced a new skin from Long Haul, which at the time held the U.S. repair contract for the original German Kleppers. Configured in a one-man expedition setup, the kayak is now used for physical training and personal stress relief a functional reminder of a demanding and enduring tradition.
