The Royal Australian Air Force’s AP-3C Orion detachment at Al Minhad AB in the United Arab Emirates reached 20,000 operational hours in support of operations in the Middle East on 15 August 2011 during an overland mission in search of insurgents in southern Afghanistan. The AP-3C aircraft are deployed from RAAF Edinburgh, near Adelaide, South Australia. Approximately 2,800 RAAF personnel have deployed in support of AP-3C operations in the Middle East since 2003. In addition to Operation Slipper, Australian Defence Force operations in Afghanistan, the deployed P-3 crews are also supporting the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, mission to the Indian Ocean off East Africa in support of maritime security and counterpiracy operations.
