There are reports an Australian aircraft has been fired at by militants while delivering aid in Iraq.
Military airlift ... the RAAF's C-17A Globemaster transport jet will land in the northern Kurdish city of Erbil carrying weapons and ammunition for Peshmerga fighters. Source: News Corp Australia
AFTER two humanitarian air drops in northern Iraq, the RAAF is about to embark on possibly its most dangerous mission yet.
In coming days, the RAAF's largest aircraft, the enormous four-engined C-17A Globemaster transport jet, will land in the northern Kurdish city of Erbil carrying weapons and ammunition for Peshmerga fighters.
After leaving its base near Dubai, the jet will fly to Baghdad to clear Iraqi customs before tracking to Erbil.
UNDER FIRE: ISIS TAKES AIM AT AUSSIE AID PLANE
It will conduct a ''tactical approach'' to the airport and it will either speed in low and fast or come in steep and fast from a great height very close to the airfield. The aim is to avoid enemy ground fire.
The big risk comes when the huge aircraft is sitting on the tarmac. Coalition forces would have cleared an area around the field but that is no guarantee of security.
Even after years of operations and with the might of US forces in town, the Kandahar airport in Afghanistan is regularly targeted by enemy rocket fire.
most of the aircrew operating C-17 jets and C-130J Hercules planes have had extensive experience flying around the Middle East. Picture: News Corp Australia. Source: News Limited
Islamic State fighters have far more sophisticated artillery that poses a real threat to aircraft on the ground in places such as Erbil.
The best protection for the RAAF aircraft is the millions spent on protection measures for the planes in the past 15 years of ''battle readiness''.
''They are the best equipped in the world when it comes to suppression and counter measures," former Air Commodore John Oddie told News Corp Australia.
Coalition aircraft will be carrying an extensive list of advanced weaponry to replace the archaic Soviet-era systems used by the Kurds. Weapons are coming from the US, France, Britain, Germany, the Czech Republic and The Netherlands.
Big task ... safety and security are the key concerns of planners and flight crews undertaking the dangerous missions. Picture: News Corp Australia. Source: Supplied
Flying aid into a combat zone is daunting. Every contingency must be planned in detail from search and rescue options to alternate airports, possible enemy action, allied air support, even crew rest.
RAAF crews and special forces delivering military and humanitarian aid in northern Iraq under Operation Accordion face very grave risks. Most have extensive experience flying around the Middle East area of operations.
The first two missions flown by C-130 Hercules (on August 14 and 31) were air drops of humanitarian aid including food and water to civilians under siege by Islamic militants. During the first flight to the Mt Sinjar area, the RAAF plane was seen by US observers to come under fire from rebels on the ground.
Big guns ... Coalition aircraft will be carrying advanced weaponry such as this M-16 military-style assault rifle. Picture: Police Media, NSW. Source: News Corp Australia
Mr Oddie said safety and security were the key concerns of planners and flight crews.
"For example, do the rations need to be dropped close to those in need because the bad guys are close by and you don't want them getting hold of it?" Mr Oddie said.
The other crucial factor is weather, with Mr Oddie explaining that air drops are ideally conducted from a very low altitude.
"You have to be close enough to the ground to keep the load tight. The higher up you are then the bigger the spread," he said.
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