New Zealand military ends air support role in Middle East

A New Zealand military contingent has wrapped up a six-month deployment supporting coalition operations in the Middle East, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) said Thursday.

A New Zealand air force C-130 Hercules aircraft and a 32-strong detachment clocked about 640 flying hours on 82 missions to Iraq and Afghanistan, said NZDF commanders.

The team transported 771 tonnes of vital supplies and about 3,200 military personnel while operating as part of an Australian Defence Force (ADF) air mobility task group.

"Our team provided strategic air support to coalition operations," Major General Tim Gall, the Commander Joint Forces New Zealand, said in a statement.

"New Zealand has had a longstanding commitment in the Middle East. With this deployment, we were doing our fair share towards the air support required for various operations that seek to maintain peace and stability in the region," he said.

The NZDF detachment, which returned Thursday, included aircraft technicians, logistics specialists, maintenance personnel, and an air movements load team that worked as part of the Australian air force's air movements unit to support coalition aircraft in the region.

Squadron Leader Blair Oldershaw, the commander of the unit, said the team maintained a high operational tempo throughout their mission.

"The mission's success rate was over 96 percent, which is phenomenal given the challenging environment in the Middle East," Oldershaw said in the statement.

Night vision goggles were used during the mission since some of the airfields involved had no lighting or navigation aids.

"The strong camaraderie and our ability to work effectively and almost seamlessly with our Australian colleagues helped us achieve our mission."

New Zealand troops are also working with the ADF in a joint mission in Iraq to train Iraqi forces in the fight against Islamic State insurgents. Endit