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The BSA Paratrooper Bicycle was developed by the Birgmingham Small Arms Factory early in the Second World War to give British airborne troops greater mobility in combat. Hinged in the middle, it folded up compactly enough to be carried in an assault glider, dropped on its own parachute, or carried by a parachutist during a jump. More than 60,000 were produced, but due to the availability of better vehicles such as jeeps few were used in their intended role. They did, however, see extensive use in utility roles and in civilian hands after the war.