Lauren Ottokisses Flying Officer Alastair Gray as Sergeant Adam Priestley gets a kiss from girlfriend Ashleigh Thomson. Picture: ROY VAN DER VEGT Source: adelaidenow

After 10 years of operational service in the Middle East, the final AP-3C Orion returned home to RAAF Edinburgh.

On board was precious cargo - 20 returning airmen who fell into the arms of waiting family and loved ones on the sizzling northern Adelaide tarmac.

"It's good to be back home," said Sergeant Adam Priestly - unable and unwilling to shake the grasp of girlfriend Ashleigh Thomson who had not seen him for three months while he was on his second deployment to the Middle East.

RAAF Sgt Colin Renton with his wife, Karen, and sons Mitchell and Ethan. Picture: Roy Van Der Vegt

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"It's good to be aboard, but it is great to be back."

Sgt Priestly, an Airborne Electronics Analyst, praised the Orion and said the plane's mission success rate was testament to the aircraft's ability.

The welcome back for the AP-3C Orion at Edinburgh RAAF Base. Picture: Roy Vandervegt

Throughout a decade of deployment in the Middle East, the Orion crews have been responsible for over-land intelligence, surveil-lance and reconnaissance tasks in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as maritime patrols of the Arabian Gulf and North Arabian Sea and counter-piracy missions in Somalia.

More than 3500 Orion crew and Number 92 Wing personnel have served in the Middle East since 2003, conducting more than 2400 missions on rotated deployments of three to six months.

"The Orions and their crew are getting lots of praise from all the taskforces over there," Sgt Priestly said.

"They were pretty disappointed to see us go but we've done our part there."

Ms Thomson and friend Lauren Otto, whose partner Flying Officer Alastair Gray is a Tactical Co-ordinator aboard the Orions, said their airmen were proud to work with the Orions - a critical aircraft in the RAAF since 18 AP-3C Orions were upgraded from P-3Cs between 1997 and 2005.

"They don't tell us a great deal about what they do but I know they are fond of those planes ... they say they are pretty good," Ms Otto said. Sgt Priestly said the millions of dollars worth of equipment onboard the Orions made them a great multi-purpose aircraft.

"There's definitely a lot of kit on them," he said.

"It's awesome to work on the AP-3Cs. I've done the deployments but also been part of numerous search and rescue missions on them."

Flying Officer Gray said the Orions may not be the fastest in the work but they are nimble enough to get the job done.

Also in the welcome home crowd and eagerly awaiting the arrival of their dad were boys Mitchell and Ethan Renton.

"As much as I love my wife, I've missed the boys the most," Sgt Colin Renton said. "It's good to be home and know that this was our last trip to the Middle East, but it's also important to acknowledge the vital work that has been done."

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