In the spring of 1927 CE some Peruvian pioneers experimented with parachute drops.
Later that year the Italians developed the 'static line' and set up the first paratrooper unit.
Other armies took notice and several started to develop their own.
Especially the USSR, pushed by marshal Tukhachevsky, formed a large airborne force during the 1930's CE.
The first Soviet paratroopers jumped off the wings of their aircraft; only later from inside the fuselage.
Airborne troops came into their own in World War II.
German fallschirmjäger were very useful in capturing forward bridges, airfields and other strategic points
during the invasion of Denmark and Norway and the attacks on the Netherlands and Belgium.
Most attacks used paratroopers, but some landed soldiers in unarmed but silent glider aircraft that were towed by normal airplanes.
The first such attack was the very rapid capture of the Belgian fortress Eben Emael in 1940 CE.
After initial successes, troops inserted by air suffered heavy casualties on several occasions.
The German paratrooper landings on Crete in 1941 nearly failed and the Soviets fared even worse.
Some airborne assaults ended in disaster, while others managed to achieve their goals.
Despite the mixed results, the western allies adopted the concept in force,
landing entire airborne divisions at D-Day and in Operation Market Garden.
Since their beginning, airborne troops are often formed through strict selection and extensive training,
creating elite troops that rank among the best infantry units.
But they have their limitations.
As aircraft can only transport relatively light loads, airborne troops are deployed with only light field guns and transports, or none at all.
This limits their mobility and firepower.
Also, they are vulnerable to anti-aircraft defenses and bad weather.
There have been many operations where paratroopers landed several kilometers from their targets, scattered over a wide area
and largely wiped out by defenders before they could organize themselves.
Airborne assaults always have to consider the choice between a daytime and a nighttime attack.
The latter enhances the surprise element, but also makes it harder to drop right on target.
Airborne troops are at their best when evading fortifications and troop concentrations, making surprise attacks on vital forward targets
and holding them for only a limited time against counterattack.
Today, there are three categories of airborne troops:
- Paratroopers: These troops jump from airplanes and land by parachute.
- Airlanding troops: Land together with their aircraft, often a glider.
- Air assault troops: Transported to battle by their Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing aircraft aircraft, usually a helicopter.
During the Cold War glider aircraft rapidly became obsolete.
Paratroopers too faced increasing danger from surface-to-air missiles
and, once on the ground, armored troops.
The USSR responded to this in a unique way:
it developed heavy transport aircraft and deployed airborne troops with light armored personnel carriers themselves, combined with self-propelled artillery.
Its Vozdushno-Desantnaya Voyska remains the largest airborne force until today.
It saw action in the Soviet-Afghan War.
Other countries did not believe in the viability of the mechanized airborne strategy.
In the 1950's CE, with helicopters becoming generally available, they got their hands on an alternative.
Helicopters can drop off soldiers close to or onto the ground, without requiring a parachute jump or glider crash landing.
This proved so effective that most paratroopers started to be replaced by air assault troops.
This new type of airborne troops saw extensive use in the Vietnam War.
Despite their advantages, helicopters are vulnerable to anti-air defenses too, their carrying capacity is limited and their noise hinders achieving surprise.
Therefore, but also because of sheer tradition, paratroopers and air assault troops continue to exist side by side.
Today, several countries maintain substantial airborne forces, though they tend to see combat only in actions against weak enemies without solid air defenses.