Righto…
Atlas operated a 747-400 (pax config) bringing a new rotation of USMC personnel into DRW on the Thursday and Delta operated a 747-400 into DRW on the Sunday.
Now…. The ADF and chartered A330/A340aircraft.
As with anything to do with govt contracts, the bottom line is cost.
Fact…when Strategic did start with their A330-300 CS-TMT it did have to make a tech stop in originally Diego Garcia then later changed to Male to refuel usually just in one direction (on the way up to the Gulf). This leased airframe from the Portuguese airline HiFly was replaced with Strategic’s own A330-200 VH-SSA which was able to do the DRW-KWI and DRW-NHD sector non-stop. Strategic lost the tender to the ADF and it went back to Adagold with a HiFly A340-300…the rest is history.
These days if QF operate a ADF charter its usually brokered through a company like Adagold anyway.
