as with the rest of the armed forces, saw expansion on an unprecedented scale, with the 5th battalion raised in 1962, the 6th battalion raised in 1963 and the 7th battalion raised in 1964, followed by raising of the 8th battalion. A second parachute brigade, the 51st, was also raised to complement the 50th Brigade but was reverted to normal infantry role in 1976. Of the original units of the 50th Parachute Brigade, only two exist as of date, namely 411 Parachute Field Company of the Bombay Sappers, the oldest parachute unit of the Indian Army and the 50th Parachute Brigade Signal Company. The original medical unit, 80 Parachute Field Ambulance, became part of 14 Parachute Brigade went over to Pakistan while 43 Para Fd AMb was disbanded as with the other minor units of the 77th Para Bde, and only one field ambulance, 60 Parachute Field Ambulance (now 60 Parachute Field Hospital) was retained in the airborne role. The other minor units followed suit. The Governor General's Bodyguard was retained in the pathfinder role. Para (Special Forces) During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, an irregular force with volunteers from various infantry regiments under Maj. Megh Singh Rathore of the Brigade of the Guards carried out unconventional operations and achieved results disproportionate to its strength, and the need for unconventional forces was felt. The force had been disbanded and the volunteers reverted to their parent units. Major Megh Singh Rathore was tasked to raise a battalion for the purpose, resulting in the raising of 9th battalion, Parachute Regiment (Commando) on 1 July 1966. The unit was originally raised as part of the Brigade of the Guards, but due to the parachute qualification being an essential part of commando operations, the battalion was transferred to the Parachute Regiment and became the 9th battalion, Parachute Regiment (Commando). One year later, on 1 July 1967, the battalion was split into two and both battalions were brought up to strength as the 9th battalion, Parachute Regiment (Commando) and the 10th battalion, Parachute Regiment (Commando). In 1979, the 1st battalion, Parachute Regiment, was put through trial conversion into a Special Forces battalion modeled on the lines of the British SAS and after a three-year conversion period re-designated as a Special Forces battalion, named as 1st battalion, Parachute Regiment (Commando). The two Parachute Commando battalions (9 and 10) were also subsequently re-designated as Special Forces battalions.