IT was a masterclass in precision delivery – carried out with a professionalism forged through years of joint training.

Gliding through the skies of northern France, the elusive human cargo of a Royal Air Force A400M Atlas headed towards their target.

From the ground, it was hard to believethese pinpricks were freefalling troops with the power to smash a gap in air defences and pave the way for an assault force.

But their quiet approach was the calm before the storm.

Touching down on the Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan training area in Brittany, the Pathfinders and their French counterparts from Groupe Commando Parachutiste were quick to ply their lethal trade.

Securing a drop zone, the way was clear for a 180-strong cohort from a battlegroup built around 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, who were inbound on two other transports. Exercise Orion had begun.

“The more we train together, the more we are ready to operate together,” explained Major Dan Lauder (Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment), part of the team coordinating the mock deployment, as personnel in the assault team consolidated their positions.

“The partnership between the British and French is capable and historic – with a mindset allowing us to work together in a way that is unique and effective.”

By all accounts, the exercising 16 Air from Groupe Commando Parachutiste and 11e Brigade Parachutiste have developed a formidable relationship since coming together to form the Airborne Command Joint Force 13 years ago.

Interoperability is more than a buzzword for these two formations, who also serve as their own nations’ rapid reaction forces, and working within each other’s operational structures is now instinctive.

They have constantly adapted to a changing world since 2013, deploying new technologies while assimilating lessons from conflicts and incorporating them into

training. Command is rotated between the two states every two years.

Orion marked another milestone in the relationship. Involving 2,000 troops, the exercise saw personnel face a mock campaign by irregular fighters with a hostile conventional force readying nearby.