Black Hawks home soon

Deliverance: US personnel attach a humanitarian-aid load under a 5 Avn Regt Black Hawk. Photo by LAC Rodney Welch.

By Lt Margaret Nichols
Volume 11, No. 40, April 6, 2006

WHILE the bulk of the ADF contingent deployed on Operation Pakistan Assist returned home last month, the mission has only just ended for 70 Australians in the aviation element.

Members of B Sqn 5 Avn Regt and supporting elements are expected to return to Australia early this month after delivering more humanitarian assistance to outlying communities.

The missions were requested on behalf of the UN and coordinated by the Disaster Assistance Centre – Pakistan.

The four 5 Avn Regt Black Hawks based at Islamabad delivered the aid. During the missions, each Black Hawk carried about 3000 pounds of cargo, which included rice and flour, in an under-slung load.

The aid was collected at Muzaffarabad airport and flown to the remote earthquake-affected communities, each mission lasting about four hours.

Non-government organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross were highly involved with the storage and distribution of the cargo.

The UN will take over the coordination of humanitarian assistance in Pakistan.