The Department's Gulfstream G1000s were specially fitted with rear fuselage hardpoints to which pylons, capable of carrying and dropping Search And Rescue (SAR) stores, could be fitted. This photo shows SAR stores being loaded aboard one of the G1000s by Departmental Engineers at the Flying Unit's Essendon base.

The photo below, taken in the Departmental hangar at Essendon in 1985, shows the mounting of a typical kit for marine rescue on the aircraft, as well as the content of the units. The stores are part of a four-unit string (two on the starboard pylons and two on the port). In this case the forward (yellow) units are supply packages, whilst the orange containers on the rear of the pylon are a life rafts.

The technique used to deliver these stores was to fly low and across the wind just upwind of the survivors and drop the linked containers across wind. The rafts would self-inflate on immersion and the wind would then blow the complete string down toward and encircling the survivors.