The international community is moving to support a US-led humanitarian relief effort in the face of a growing refugee crisis in Afghanistan. So far aid has been confined to limited air drops of food from US Air Force Boeing C-17 transport flying long-range missions from Germany.
A UK defence source says using the military for humanitarian operations is a "last resort" but they "would possibly offer an opportunity for other members of the coalition to participate".
Japan has mounted a large humanitarian operation with the deployment of six Air Self Defence Force Lockheed Martin C-130Hs carrying relief supplies to neighbouring Pakistan. Canada has announced the deployment to the region of another three C-130s as part of wider 1,000-strong naval and air force task force and other countries are signalling their intent to join the aid effort.
Italy has placed its fleet of C-130Js at the disposal of NATO, while Australia is to deploy its C-130s. The UK already has a number of Hercules in Oman supporting a large military exercise. RAF BAC Canberra PR9 reconnaissance aircraft are, among other things, tracking refugee movements.
The airlift and distribution of aid to the estimated 1.5 million refugees inside Afghanistan has so far been confined to the USAF, which has been mounting daily air drops using two Boeing C-17s flying 11,100km (6,000nm) round trips from Ramstein AB in Germany.
To avoid a repetition of operations in the Balkans, during which refugees were killed by falling pallets dropped by parachute, the air force is employing a new Tri-Wall Aerial Delivery System.
The high-altitude drops employ refrigerator-size cardboard boxes rolled out the back of a C-17, which open up in the slip stream and dispense individual lightweight ration packs. The air force claims the plastic containers freefall no faster than 40mph and are closely spread over an area no larger than 3,000 x 1,700m. Each C-17 is able to carry up to 40 containers holding approximately 18,000 meals.
International aid agencies have criticised the military drops, arguing that there is no assurance the 110,000 meals dropped to date are reaching the right people or that they are any substitute for the 700,000t a year of aid that was flowing into the country prior to the bombing campaign.
With Pakistan now opening up access to two airbases at Pasani and Jacobabad for US logistical support and Uzbekistan similarly consenting to the use of Khanabad, 145 km north of the Afghan border, relief operations are, however, expected to be given a boost.
Source: Flight International
