A C130-J Hercules military transport aircraft belonging to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has completed its first airdrop over the Republic of Palau.
The airdrop was performed on December 14, 2024, when the RAAF participated in the 73rd Operation Christmas Drop, a tradition started by the US Air Force (USAF) in 1952.
It is currently the US Department of Defense’s longest-running humanitarian airlift operation, and in recent years, global air force organizations have participated in joint exercises.
Operation Christmas Drop generally involves the USAF and its allies delivering essential supplies to nearly 60 remote islands in the Indo-Pacific where accessing necessities can be challenging. These island nations include the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
For 2024, five nations participated in Operation Christmas Drop – the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea. Altogether, the countries dropped 220 bundles over 58 islands, reaching an estimated 29,000 islanders.
The US and Australian Hercules aircraft dropped Christmas bundles over Palau’s remote islands of Koror and Skojo. This is the first time that the RAAF’s Hercules has airdropped over Palau.
Ho Ho Ho 🎁✈️🎅
That’s a wrap for Operation Christmas Drop 24
Thanks to all the crews and Santa’s little helpers. 🙏#AusAirForce #strongertogether @usairforce @INDOPACOM @PACAF @AirMobilityCmd @JASDF_PAO_ENG pic.twitter.com/6RtGtAtuL8
— Royal Australian Air Force (@AusAirForce) December 22, 2024
“In our history of participating in Operation Christmas Drop, the RAAF has actually never air-dropped over Palau, so it was quite a historic day and we were grateful to share that experience with the United States,” RAAF Detachment Commander Flight Lieutenant Eleanor Bradshaw said in a statement.
Australia first took part in Operation Christmas Drop in 2015 and participated from 2015-2019 and again in 2022. In 2023, it sent observers to the activities.