A collection of images from Brize Norton showing humanitarian aid being loaded onto RAF C130 Hercules aircraft in preparation for air dropping over Iraq.
Included in the package are;
Supplies include reusable filtration containers filled with clean water, tarpaulins and basic shelter equipment, and solar lights that can also recharge mobile phones to enable communication.
The UK is releasing an £8 million package of emergency humanitarian assistance to get lifesaving aid to tens of thousands of people across northern and central Iraq who have fled ISIL terrorists. This aid includes £2 million of emergency humanitarian supplies for 75,000 people.
Good to see Lifesaver water filtration being included
I wonder why the RAF’s C17 fleet is not being used?
Could it be they are not cleared for air despatch, surely some mistake?
Is the C-17 force not busy bringing back vast amounts of equipment from Afghanistan? Whatever the case, all this recent action should re-affirm the need for the Atlas. And carriers (sorry!).
Who pays for all those parachutes? What are the financial arrangements for doing stuff like this? Does the MoD bill someone all costs?
Phil, the MoD will recover marginal costs from DFiD under standing agreements
RAF C17 are a strategic transport asset only in UK service. Our C17 crews don’t train to do air drops.
I know Fed, a bit of an omission I think
Next drop Hampshire?
@TD
I don’t agree there TD, the UK has just eight C17 that are heavily tasked to the strategic transport role. Adding a para-drop capability would require time and money being spent training crews as well as setting up the logistics for what is already an overworked asset.
The UK already has an asset that can do tactical transport the C130 and very soon getting the A400M. The Atlas gives us the best of both worlds as it performance crosses over both the C130 and the C17.
Even if the MOD stumped up for one or even two more C17 I still think it is not worth the effort adding tactical transport to its role. The C17 line is closing soon so it might well be Eight is all we have and that fleet will have to be husbanded to its out of service date. Low level dropping of supplies adds wear n tear to that vital strategic asset.
When the hercules force meet the hailstorm in aghan I had heard the c17 force expanded there roles undertaken to cover some other tasks not sure if airdrops were one or if it was just more tactical operations or if that’s still the case.
Making full use of all these assets we own is probably one of those fur coat knickers things we hear so much about.
I wish that the foreign aid budget had been used to purchase a couple of C17s or A400Ms as well as some chinooks – it feels that disaster relief or just getting in and aiding populations in difficult terrain would have been a good way to spend the money (as well as a dual role), more so than the marginal projects that we seem to have wasted a few billion on.
I have to wonder why we have taken so long to start delivering aid to Iraq – it has been needed for weeks – is it yet again we have waited for the US to act before we pull our finger out ? It’s a worrying trend.
According to the Times, Brize Norton had no inkling that the aid was to be dispatched until it turned up at the gate: DFID had not bothered to contact the RAF in advance.