A squadron from RAF Brize Norton missed out on battle honours for serving in Iraq because of a technicality.

99 Squadron, which operates the massive C17 transport aircraft, has regularly flown personnel and equipment, including tanks and helicopters, out to the Middle East.

Last January it flew Prime Minister Tony Blair from Egypt to Iraq's second largest city, Basra, for a surprise visit to British troops.

But while three other squadrons from Brize Norton -- 10, 101 and 216 -- were awarded the honour 'Iraq 2003' for their work in the Middle East, 99 Squadron was not.

Acting station chief, Wing Commander Mark Baker, said: "We're obviously delighted for the three squadrons that have been given battle honours.

"They played a very important part in the conflict."

But he added: "There is some confusion and question as to why 99 Squadron haven't been given battle honours.

"We're not quite sure how they were awarded and it's causing some distaste, but we'll continue to look into that."

The awards were announced by the Ministry of Defence after being approved by the Queen.

An MOD spokesman, Jonathan Turner, said because the squadron was based in the UK during the conflict it was not eligible.

He said: "What it comes down to is that unfortunately, and not to take away from the squadron's contribution to the operation, they weren't in Iraq, they were based in the UK.

"Battle honours aren't necessarily about the significance of what people do, each service has got strict criteria and that's based both on the time period and on geographical location, and in this case even though they were making a significant contribution they don't meet the criteria because they were based in the UK."

Last year 99 Squadron were presented with a new standard, which carries the squadron badge of a puma, in recognition of its work in Afghanistan and the Middle East.

The squadron was disbanded in 1976 after nearly 60 years in existence, and reformed in 2001. It was responsible for flying repair equipment out to HMS Nottingham, the warship which nearly sank off the coast of Australia in 2002.