How will our Iraq mission work?

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has warned Australia's involvement in the Iraq conflict could last 'many months'.

AUSTRALIAN soldiers are likely to be based in both Baghdad and Erbil in northern Iraq to advise and support Iraqi and Kurdish fighters battling brutal Islamic State extremists.

The bulk of the Abbott Government's 600-strong deployment will operate well away from the danger zone at the al-Minhad air base near Dubai.

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On the way ... eight Super Hornet fighters from RAAF base Amberley in Queensland will be deployed to the Middle East to combat Islamic extremists. Source: Supplied.

Millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent at the base, owned by the United Arab Emirates, building air-conditioned aircraft maintenance hangars and accommodation facilities for more than 1000 personnel.

Power force ... a flight of RAAF Super Hornet fighters in formation with a Mirage jet from the United Arab Emirates during Exercise Pitch Black earlier this year. The RAAF jets will be based at al-Minhad in the UAE. Source: ADF. Source: Supplied

It is understood that once approval has been given by Iraqi authorities and a UN mandate is in place the military "advisers" will undertake staff roles inside the US-led headquarters in Baghdad and training roles with Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in Erbil, where 125 US troops will also be based.

According to defence sources Australian officers have been working closely for weeks with American teams attached to Iraqi commands in both of the relatively secure Iraqi cities.

Defence said it was conducting detailed planning for the mission.

This included careful mission planning, force preparation and force protection in conjunction with contributing nations.

Working hard ... Australian military personnel load a Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster aircraft. Source: Supplied

Specialists from the Perth-based SAS will support intelligence, search and rescue and surveillance missions from the air and on the ground, but their exact roles will remain a closely guarded secret.

Surveillance missions will include flights by armed manned and unmanned aircraft including ground attack jets and Predator and Reaper drones.

Military analyst with the Lowy Institute and former army officer James Brown said it made sense to locate Australian troops in Baghdad and Erbil.

"Those cities would allow the ADF to plug into the Iraqi and Kurdish security forces, as well as US command structures," he said.

"And the US has good force protection in both locations to help protect our personnel."

Main mission ... inside the Royal Australian Air Force C-17 Globemaster en route to Baghdad, Iraq. Source: Supplied

Defence would not comment on specific plans but said it was conducting the detailed planning work required to prepare for this deployment "including careful mission planning, force preparation and force protection in conjunction with contributing nations".

Search and rescue is a vital capability with Australian warplanes flying over hostile territory.

The missions would be kept secret and according to well-placed sources would not compromise the government's strict "no boots on the ground" policy.

In government speak "boots on the ground" refers to infantry troops not special-forces.

The RAAF deployment of about 400 personnel will be split between three aircraft types — F/A-18F Super Hornets, KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) and Boeing E-7A Wedgetail Early Warning and Control Aircraft.

Waiting game ... a Kurdish Peshmerga fighter takes position as he keeps watch on two moving vehicles belonging to the Islamic State at the Bakirta front line, near the town of Makhmur, south of Erbil. Source: Supplied

The eight Super Hornets from Numbers 1 and 6 Squadrons come from 24 of the advanced fighter jets based at Amberley near Brisbane.

They fly at 2000km/hr, carry a two-person crew (pilot and air-combat officer), a range of missiles and bombs and will require a contingent of about 150 planning, logistics and maintenance personnel.

The KC-30A MRTT is a converted Airbus A-330 airliner designed to carry 270 troops, up to 100 tonnes of fuel and 34 tonnes of cargo. It can remain airborne for many hours and can provide fuel to dozens of fighter jets en route to strike zones inside Iraq.

Also based at Amberley with 33 Squadron, the MRTT has a crew of about a dozen depending on its role and requires a support network of up to 100 technical and support staff to keep it flying.

For the people ... personnel from 176 Air Dispatch Squadron prepare airdrop bundles of humanitarian aid at Al Minhad Air Base. Source: Supplied

The aircraft — one of five in RAAF service — are fitted with two air-to-air refuelling systems but just one — the wing mounted hose and drogue — is operational (a boom system is not yet cleared) and will be used on the Iraq mission.

The fuel lines are controlled by an Air Refuelling Operator in the aircraft cockpit who monitors refuelling on 2D and 3D TV screens.

The tankers are also fitted with advanced mission systems such as Link 16 real-time data-link, military communications and navigation suites and electronic warfare self-protection systems to counter surface-to-air missiles.

The RAAF operates six Wedgetail aircraft with Number 2 Squadron at Williamtown near Newcastle in NSW.

Troops ... Iraqi soldiers brandish their weapons during a military training exercise in the mainly Shiite southern city of Basra. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

A flying air traffic and battle management aircraft, the Wedgetail is designed to control the tactical battle space, directing fighter aircraft, surface combatants and land based elements, as well as supporting aircraft such as tankers and intelligence platforms.

Based on the Boeing 737-700 commercial aircraft, it is equipped with advanced multirole electronically scanned radar and 10 state-of-the-art mission crew consoles that are able to track airborne and maritime targets simultaneously.

The plane has a crew of more than a dozen including flight crew and specialist radar operators and will require about 100 personnel to operate and keep it flying.

The Wedgetail can elevate its radar to 10,000 metres above the earth's surface so that the radar can 'see' everything out to a range of hundreds of kilometres.

With a cruising altitude of 10,000 metres, the E-7A Wedgetail can maintain surveillance over a surface area of 400,000 square kilometres at any given time.

That means a 10-hour mission can cover more than four million square kilometres providing an incredible "force multiplier" effect for coalition forces.

All the Australian aircraft can be refuelled in the air and are equipped to operate alongside US military aircraft.