On 7 December 2022, in a ceremony at the Museum of Flight in Seattle (WA), Boeing Defense officially handed over the first P-8A Poseidon to the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF).
The aircraft, serial NZ4801 (construction number 67017/9449), will most probably stay in the US for the coming months for training duties before being flown to New Zealand.
New Zealand ordered four Boeing P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) in March 2019. The three remaining P-8As are all in advanced stages of production and will be delivered in 2023.
The first Poseidon is expected to arrive in New Zealand by April 2023 with initial operating capability (IOC) achieved by July of the same year. The entire fleet of four aircraft is slated to reach final operating capability by 2025.
The P-8As will replace the Lockheed Martin P-3K2 Orion Maritime Patrol Aircraft, of which three are still active with 5 Squadron at Whenuapai air base. Identities of the four new MPAs are:
- NZ4801, test registration N786DS, c/n 67017/9449
- NZ4802, test registration N788DS, c/n 67018/9488
- NZ4803, test registration N790DS, c/n 67019 (line number not known)
- NZ4804, test registration N806DS, c/n 67020 (line number not known)
