To date, for fiscal year 2014-15, I believe we estimated $122.6-million in incremental funding for the Canadian Armed Forces Operation Impact in Iraq. As you know, the government has decided, and the House of Commons has endorsed the decision, to extend that operation for one year and to expand the RCAF air sorties into eastern Syria. In the budget, we estimate that the cost of this extension in the current fiscal year will be $360 million, which includes a 20% contingency. The largest portion of those costs is associated with munitions and aviation fuel for the six CF-18 Hornets, the two modernized RCAF Aurora surveillance aircraft, and the Polaris refuelling aircraft, which has helped to deliver tons of aviation fuel to coalition aircraft.
As you know, last week the Prime Minister and I visited the RCAF stationed in Kuwait, and we were extraordinarily impressed by the professionalism. In fact, I went out on the tarmac and saw our Hornets. I was told by our general there that, just two days prior, Canadian CF-18 pilots had led coalition aircraft from six different countries in a mission that struck, I believe, 49 targets in 19 minutes with no apparent collateral damage. That was Canadians leading that mission. Also, apparently we have been contributing in very significant ways in unpacking intelligence that we are getting from various sources, including aerial surveillance, to help with coalition targeting. I would point out that, in the last three or four days, we have seen an increased tempo in CF-18 sorties successfully hitting targets of the so-called Islamic State, demonstrating that we are continuing to make a difference there.