Interesting to see if we will simply take over birds already in theatre or if these will be reconditioned units just coming off the line. As the crews (pilots and flight engineers) are training now, I expect after initial training they will be embedded with US crews as we did with our C-17 guys. Going to be tough on family life to be gone now, and then go right into theatre.
It will be tough, but they will save lives re-supplying by air instead of by convoy. Also, our pilots have balls like the Yanks and will fly in when it's sh*tty. Some coalition pilots (UK, Yank pilots rock...even the Dutch in our old Chinooks) are not so manly when it comes to aeromedivac in the sh*t. Some of those pricks really take a piss over the 9 liners being perfect when you're in the sh*t...