an RAAF aircraft, 220 cadets from the Australian Defence Force Academy. The squadron received its fifth KC-30 on 3 December 2012, and achieved initial operating capability in February 2013. It expected to reach final operating capability, with both boom and probe-and-drogue delivery systems, in 2014. On 14 September that year, the Federal government committed to deploying one of the squadron's KC-30s to Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, as part of Operation Okra, Australia's contribution to a coalition to combat Islamic State forces in Iraq. The aircraft was only cleared for operations with the probe-and-drogue system, as by this stage the boom system was not ready. The KC-30 began flying missions in Iraq on 1 October 2014. The first successful contact using the boom system (in concert with another RAAF KC-30) took place near Amberley on 13 May 2015. In July, the Federal government announced the purchase of two more KC-30s, to increase No. 33 Squadron's fleet to seven aircraft; the airframes were to be ex-Qantas A330-200 passenger liners, converted by Airbus Defence and Space at Getafe, near Madrid. The KC-30 deployed to Iraq undertook the first operational use of the boom system in late October 2015, refuelling an RAAF E-7 Wedgetail. In March 2016, No. 33 Squadron was awarded the Duke of Gloucester Cup as the RAAF's most proficient squadron of the previous year, as well as the RAAF Maintenance Trophy. It also received the 2017 and 2018 Maintenance Trophies. The unit's sixth KC-30 was delivered to Amberley in September 2017 and its seventh in May 2019, the latter aircraft having a VIP passenger-carrying capability to augment its aerial refuelling role. The VIP aircraft was fitted with first-class and business-class seats, as well as a conference room. In December 2018, Wing Commander Sarah Stalker assumed command of No. 33 Squadron, becoming the first woman appointed to lead a RAAF flying squadron in over a decade. The squadron completed its final Operation Okra deployment in September 2020; by this time its aircraft had flown 1,440 air-to-air refuelling missions in the Middle East, totalling over 11,000 hours flight time, and delivered in excess of 47,000 tonnes of fuel to Coalition aircraft. Notes References 33 Military units and formations established in 1942 Aircraft squadrons of the Royal Australian Air Force in World War II