Royal Air Force Hercules
enables Royal Marines deployment to Turk & Caicos Islands following
devastating hurricanes
ON 11 SEPTEMBER
a Royal Air Force C-130J Hercules transport aircraft delivered a team of Royal
Marines and medics to the Turks & Caicos Islands, a British Overseas
Territory that has been stricken by Hurricanes Irma and Jose. The C-130J was
the first military aircraft to arrive in the Turks & Caicos Islands; it
joins a fleet of RAF transport aircraft and nearly 700 military and specialist
civilian personnel supporting the Department for International Aid (DfID) with
the delivery of humanitarian aid and disaster relief to British Overseas
Territories in the Caribbean.
Since 8
September the Royal Air Force has flown more than 20 sorties within the
Caribbean, moving more than 700 passengers into and around the region and
delivering more than 70 tonnes of freight to hurricane-stricken communities.
This has included:
·
More
than 20 Royal Marines from C Company, 40 Commando, who have deployed to support
Her Majesty’s Governor of the Turks & Caicos Islands.
·
More
than 200 Royal Marines from 40 Commando and 3 Commando Brigade, who are
supporting DfID’s urgent humanitarian work in the British Virgin Islands.
·
Sixteen
officers from the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, who are supporting the
British Virgin Islands with policing.
·
More
than 50 officers from the UK’s International Police Response Cadre, who will be
sworn in as British Virgin Island police officers to support the territory with
community and public order policing.
·
Water
filtration equipment and search and rescue kits for UK NGOs Serve On and Team
Rubicon.
Royal Air Force
aircraft operating in the Caribbean are managed by 38 Expeditionary Air Wing
(38 EAW), based at a logistics hub in Barbados. The EAW is supported by
elements of the RAF’s Air Mobility fleet comprising C-17 strategic lift
aircraft, A400M Atlas and C-130J Hercules transport aircraft and Voyager
passenger aircraft. More than 90 regular and reserve RAF personnel are assigned
to 38 EAW, including logisticians, RAF Police, administrative staff, engineers
and operations personnel, principally from RAF Brize Norton and RAF Northolt.
The Commanding
Officer of 38 EAW, Wing Commander Gareth Burdett, said:
“The
arrival of the C-130J provides us with an incredibly flexible asset, able to
deploy freight and passengers into some extremely challenging environments to
help our Overseas Territories get back on their feet. The pace of work here in
the Caribbean is relentless, but we all know that people across the region are
depending upon us. We’re working closely with our colleagues in the Royal Navy,
Royal Marines, Army and DfID to make sure UK Aid makes a difference whenever
and wherever it is needed.”
© MOD Crown Copyright 2017
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