‘Christmas in August’: Massive RAAF airdrop delivers food and supplies to Antarctic expeditioners

A precision operation in -25C temperatures has delivered nearly 10 tonnes of food and equipment to workers in one of the planet’s most remote locations.

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CHRISTMAS has come early for expeditioners in one of the most remote locations on Earth.

In the early hours of Thursday, the Australian Antarctic Division crew at the Mawson research station welcomed the sight of 23 parachutes gently dropping to the snow, containing nearly 10 tonnes of food, medical equipment and letters from home.

The 400m drop from a C-17A military aircraft in -25C temperatures was a precision operation requiring a massive effort to orchestrate and achieve.

Australian Defence Force personnel spent a week preparing the loads at the AAD biosecurity centre in Hobart before Royal Australian Air Force flight crew arrived in Tasmania.

The flight then departed Perth International Airport on Thursday morning on a 15-hour round trip, travelling 5000km over the Southern Ocean before reaching the drop zone.

Mawson station workers retrieve one of the airdropped packages containing food and medical equipment. Picture: Gemma Woldendorp/AAD

AAD general manager of operations and safety Charlton Clark said thick sea ice prevented a full resupply at the station earlier this year.

“Mawson Station is thousands of kilometres away from Australia, it is one of the remotest places on the planet. At this time of the year, access is almost impossible,” he said.

“They’ve been there for several months already and won’t be returning to Australia until early next year. Seeing this airdrop of food and supplies come down, it’s really like Christmas in August for all of them.”

Mawson station expeditioners watch the C-17A military plane approach. Picture: Gemma Woldendorp/AAD

Expeditioners retrieved the supplies and parachutes in low light, strong winds and freezing temperatures before enjoying fresh fruits and food back at the station.

Mawson station leader Jason Ahrens said crew members positioned themselves to ensure no wildlife was harmed by the massive loads dropping from the sky.

“We had expeditioners acting as spotters to make sure rogue penguins and seals didn’t unknowingly cross into the drop zone,” he said.

“The Mawson team are really excited to receive these much-needed supplies and a little slice of home.”

In all, there were 23 packages containing nearly 10 tonnes of supplies. Picture: Gemma Woldendorp/AAD

The C-17A Globemaster III was refuelled by a tanker transport aircraft, which provided air-to-air fuelling to enable the return journey.

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