The Special Air Service Regiment soldier who died in a parachute accident after dusk on Monday was one of the most experienced parachute instructors in the army, according to a former military colleague.

A 50-year-old Warrant Officer, Second Class, who fought in the Afghanistan war, Lachlan Muddle, was killed in the training exercise on Monday evening at the Jervis Bay Airfield on the southern NSW coast.

Known as “Muds”, the senior non-commissioned officer was a sniper in the SAS’s 1st and 3rd squadrons and was sent to Afghanistan five times.

Because of a limited number of instructors in the Army, SAS parachutists are often seconded from their headquarters in Perth to the Australian Defence Force Parachuting School at HMAS Albatross near Nowra.

“Muds had jumped thousands of times,” the former colleague said. “There was no qualification he did not have.”

All parachuting across the Defence Force was paused while a preliminary investigation is conducted.

It was the second parachute death in three years. In 2024 Lance Corporal Jack Fitzgibbon, a commando and son of former Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon, died in a parachuting accident at the Richmond Air Force base north of Sydney.

The Fitzgibbon family are still waiting for the results of an investigation by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force.

Australian Army Special Operations Commander Major General Garth Gould confirmed on Tuesday that Warrant Officer Muddle was “assisting a specialist parachute training activity that was being conducted at the ADF parachute school”.

“He collided with another paratrooper midair,” he revealed. “After successfully opening their parachutes, what we know of the incidents suggests that both paratroopers collided several hundred meters above the ground as they were manoeuvring towards the drop zone.”

Both soldiers were “under canopy” when they collided before falling from height.

“One soldier, a sergeant from the Australian Defence Force Parachute School, survived the fall with minor injuries,” Major General Gould said.

“The second soldier, Warrant Officer Lachlan Muddle received fatal injuries as a result of the fall.

“Warrant Officer Muddle was provided immediate first aid on the scene by Australian Defence Force medics, who were later joined by NSW Ambulance, who arrived on the scene very quickly.”

Warrant Officer Muddle and the other soldiers involved in the collision have been described as “highly skilled”.

“Between the two of them, they had several thousand jumps to their credit,” Major General Gould said.

Paying tribute to the fallen soldier, Major General Gould said the experienced member was highly regarded.

“Warrant Officer Lachlan Muddle was 50 years old. He joined the army in 1994. He joined Special Operations Command in 2007 and served the majority of his time in Special Operations Command in the Special Air Service Regiment,” he said.

“He was operationally experienced, he was a highly qualified special forces sniper and military free-fall parachutist.

“He was highly regarded within our community.

“He was skilled, professional, and he will be remembered for his sense of humour and his genuine and deep commitment to serving the nation, serving the Army and serving in the Special Air Regiment.”

Defence Minister pays tribute

Defence Minister Richard Marles later confirmed that Warrant Officer Muddle participated in five separate deployments, including Afghanistan.

“He was a deeply experienced Special Forces soldier,” the Defence Minister said.

Speaking to the tragic loss, Mr Marles said Warrant Officer Muddle’s death was as significant as any on the battlefield.

“The Defence Force trains as it fights. There is necessarily risk in Defence Force training. What that means is that Lachlan Muddle’s sacrifice is as meaningful and significant as any of those on the battlefield,” the Defence Minister said.

“Right now our thoughts are very much with Lachlan Muddle’s family, as they are with his Defence family in the SAS.”

In the wake of the tragedy, the ADF has announced they have “paused all personnel parachuting operations at this point pending investigations of this matter”.

“As a result of last night’s accidents, there will now be a series of investigations, both within the Defence Force and more broadly, and we are committed to those being as thorough as possible so that every necessary lesson is learnt.

“In a tight knit group, such as the SAS, but really any part of the Defence Force, Lachlan Muddle’s loss will be felt acutely.”

Mr Marles confirmed the exercise was conducted in “low light” as part of a six week specialised training course, adding the point of the exercise required the jump to be conducted “at night”.

Confirming the death on Tuesday morning, the ADF said: “Defence can confirm an Australian Army soldier has died during a parachuting training course at the Jervis Bay Airfield on the evening of 11 May 2026.

They confirmed the other Australian Army soldier injured in the incident in the Jervis Bay Territory didn’t have to go to hospital.

“We request that the privacy of Defence members and families is respected at this time,” the statement continued.

“Defence will provide further updates when possible.”