40 Commando, Royal Marines set to work on Exercise Predators Run

In their bid to go two weeks in the Territory bush with no resupply, British Commandos are putting their turbocharged military buggies to the test. See the pictures.

Troops from 40 Commando, Royal Marines, are using the turbo-charged MRZR combat vehicle to bash through the Territory bush. Picture: Royal Marines.

In their push for realistic training, British Commandos are attempting to fight and survive in the Territory bush without resupply for up to two weeks, spearheading a huge multinational military exercise.

Just days into military activity Exercise Predators Run, troops from 40 Commando, Royal Marines, have covered a whopping distance, operating up to 650 kilometres ahead of the main force which consists of Australian, US Marine, and Filipino ‘follow-on’ units.

To cover the extraordinary mileage, the visitors have been bashing through the rugged terrain in lightweight buggies, known as MRZR combat vehicles.

Lt Colonel Oliver Denning of the 40 Commando Royal Marines confirmed the buggies would be used for Exercise Predators Run. Picture: Harry Brill.

The impressive four-wheel vehicle can reach speeds of up to almost 100 km/h and was acquired by UK military with the aim to provide elite soldiers the ability to move quickly and strike deep within enemy territory.

Earlier in the week in Darwin, British commander Lieutenant Colonel Oliver Denning hinted the turbocharged buggies would play a key role for the visitors over the coming weeks.

“To bring the mobility platform (and) project them from the maritime and also to work in the deep battlespace is a really challenging thing,” he said.

“And the environment of Australia, with all of the heat the different scale and the different challenges that that brings, is a really great training opportunity for us.”

The vehicle can be transported by helicopter. Picture: Royal Marines.

The MRZR can be flown by chopper, with the US MV-22 Osprey capable of storing the buggy and transporting it across vast distances.

Images released by the Royal Marines show the commandos giving their lightweight vehicles a solid test drive across the Territory bush, ripping over scrub, water and ridges with ease.

Despite more than 400 commandos involved in the exercise, manpower and soldiering is not the only impressive quality the UK have brought to bear the Top End, with two ships from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary – RFA Lyme Bay and RFA Argus – loitering off the Territory coastline to provide helicopter raids a launching pad.

British commandos training in the Territory scrub. Picture: Royal Marines.

The amphibious, lightweight approach to warfighting shown by the British reinforces the Royal Navy’s decision to designate 40 Commando as the UK’s Littoral Response Group (South).

Their example would be of interest to Darwin’s 1st Brigade, who are being repurposed as the Australian Army’s littoral brigade and will soon inherit landing craft designed to deploy troops with ease.

40 Commando have trained in Queensland before, but the Top End is a new environment for the unit. Picture: Royal Marines.

Commandos on Exercise Predator’s Run 2024. Picture: Royal Marines.

An MRZR being loaded onto a US MV-22 Osprey. Picture: Royal Marines.

MRZRs bashing through the Northern Territory. Picture: Royal Marines.

The vehicle can cope with a variety of harsh terrain. Picture: Royal Marines.

A British Commando training in the Northern Territory. Picture: Royal Marines.