Cardo Systems provided the PACKTALK Bold as the communications device of The Red Devils – the iconic parachute display team of the British Army and the Parachute Regiment.

Used by the 15-strong team while training and performing around the globe, the mesh connectivity, durability of the rugged waterproof PACKTALK Bold unit and the one-mile range were three key features which made the communication systems a suitable choice for such a demanding task.

Performing over 350 tandem parachute descents and 60 public displays every year in the UK and internationally, The Red Devils are recognized as being at the forefront of Canopy Formation Displays globally, meaning they also train with other display teams.

Sergeant Dean Walton explained, “As you can imagine, being 13,000ft up in the air and traveling at speeds of up to 120mph in sections, it’s quite hard to communicate! While we practice as much as possible, having the unit on our helmet means that we can talk if we need to. Using them during training has been fantastic – quite often, we’ve had a member of our team on the ground communicating with the team in the sky, this is where the range of a mile comes in handy!”

With 13-hours of battery life when fully charged, the units are also able to keep up with the team when they train for hours on end and the Dynamic Mesh Communication means that up to 15 members of the team can swap and change positions and move in and out of range as much as they like without worrying needing to re-connect the units manually. 

Sergeant Walton concluded, “We’re extremely lucky in that we get to trial the latest and greatest equipment. What is so special about these is that they can be bought by anyone looking for a wireless communication unit. In fact, one of our team members, who rides a motorcycle, uses the unit on his bike to pair with his phone to listen to music and speak to another motorcyclist while riding!”

Link: Cardo Systems, The Red Devils