Aerial view of Honiara International Airport, formerly Henderson Field, taken from a UH-1H 'Huey' ...

Aerial view of Honiara International Airport, formerly Henderson Field, taken from a UH-1H 'Huey' Iroquois helicopter belonging to No. 3 Squadron, RNZAF. The airport was used as the principal Air Point of Departure for the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI), and the camp established by RAMSI can be seen in front of the terminal building. Australian and New Zealand helicopters can be seen. Crews of the four RNZAF helicopters, deployed under Operation Rata, worked closely with the crews of four Australian UH-1H Iroquois helicopters from 171 Squadron of 1 Aviation Regiment, deployed under Operation Anode. They carried out reconnaissance, transport of personnel and equipment to remote areas, and medical evacuation duties. The former Henderson Field was renamed Honiara International Airport in September 2003. It had been established during the Second World War, and played a key role in the battle of Guadalcanal. It was from Henderson Field that, in November 1942, No. 3 Squadron became the first squadron of the RNZAF to engage in direct combat with the Japanese. To the right of the runway are two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Caribou transport aircraft, also used to transport supplies and personnel. The poor condition of many Solomon Islands airfields made the Caribou’s ability to take off and land on short unprepared runways invaluable.