Humanitarian air drop in Northern Iraq

A C-130J Hercules aircraft of No 37 Squadron completed one of the most complex humanitarian air drop mission conducted by the Air Force in more than a decade. The Hercules detachment deployed to Joint Task Force 633 at Al Minhad Air Base was rapidly reinforced with extra crews from 37 Squadron in response to a humanitarian crisis on Mt Sinjar in Northern Iraq. A large group of civilians, most from the Yazidi minority, had fled to Mt Sinjar to escape attacks from the terrorist organisation, known as Islamic State (IS). The mission delivered 10 bundles of critical supplies to people trapped on Mt Sinjar by encircled IS forces. The Air Force C-130 was one of 16 aircraft from a number of nations who responded to the humanitarian disaster. In the following months additional air drops were conducted on Mt Sinjar and the besieged town of Amerli.