Defence has delivered much-needed supplies to help scientists in Antarctica discover the secrets behind prehistoric climate change.
Under Operation Southern Discovery, Air Force provides regular airlifts for the Australian Antarctic Program supporting scientific research such as the Million Year Ice Core project.
The project aims to drill a kilometres-deep hole to reach million-year-old ice samples to better understand the timing of ice ages.
In late November, a RAAF C-17A Globemaster III touched down on the ice runway at Wilkins Aerodrome in Antarctica, near Casey Station.
'It's a different view once you open it up, everything is white.'
Air Force flew two trips from Melbourne to Antarctica in November, carrying more than 20 pallets of food, building materials and general cargo.
Sergeant Shaun Harding was responsible for offloading stores from the back of the 36 Squadron aircraft.
"It's a different view once you open it up, everything is white," Sergeant Harding said.
"We were pretty warm offloading gear so we didn't notice the cold too much, but once you stepped off the C-17 it got pretty windy."
Crews fly during the Antarctic summer months, but even in the comparatively warm period, the weather was still an element to be reckoned with.
Loadmasters had a window of less than two hours to unload their cargo and take off before the weather turned.
If meteorologists warned about hazardous weather, the crew would be forced to leave as quickly as possible. If there was ice on the wings, the aircraft wouldn't fly properly.
'When we landed and turned around, you could see where the tires had been. There was pretty much ice under the tire tracks.'
Ice is a constant on the frozen continent.
It was the first time C-17 pilot Flight Lieutenant Andrew Muhl had landed his 128 tonne - plus cargo - aircraft on an icy runway atop a 150m-thick glacier.
"The Wilkins Aerodrome staff till the top of the glacier so the runway's grooved and there's a bit of friction," Flight Lieutenant Muhl said.
"When we landed and turned around, you could see where the tires had been. There was pretty much ice under the tire tracks."
There are six resupply missions planned over the summer.
Air Force also transported two BK117 helicopters to Antarctica in December to enable critical science and safety activities.
