It took 2,000 marines nine days to turn a sandy strip in Iraq's western desert into an airbase on which Hercules C-130 transporters can land.

A huge fleet of helicopters including Cobra gunships, Hueys, Sea Knights, Sea Stallions of the Marine Air Group 29 thunder in and out of the Jalibah Forward Operating Base, which will soon also feature a hard-standing pipe pumping fresh water from Kuwait.

The aircraft guzzle more than 300,000 tonnes of aviation fuel a day, fed by the pipeline stretching back through vast tracts of desert to Kuwait.

"We spent two and half months waiting on a ship to play, so hitting the dirt and getting to do our part is all we've been waiting for," Marine Gunnery Sergeant Jeff Christie said.

Helicopters from Britain's 3 Regiment Army Air Corps will this week base a forward arming and refuelling point (FARP) at the airstrip, which is surrounded by a sprawling city of tents.

However the amount of traffic that an airbase of this size generates does not come without its dangers.

Four days ago a Huey "browned out" -- disappeared in the cloud of dust blown up on landing -- and crashed, exploding all the ordnance it was carrying and killing four people.

"It was a shock. We don't want to have to accept it but we must march on," Christie said.

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