The last aircraft to join the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s latest fleet has hit the tarmac in Ōhakea.
All four Boeing P-8A Poseidon were lined up at the base on Friday marking the final chapter in what has been a five-year journey to bring the planes to New Zealand.
In 2018, the Government made a decision to purchase the new fleet to replace the ageing P-3K2 Orions, which had been in operation for almost 60 years.
Operated by No 5 Squadron, the Poseidons would be tasked with maritime surveillance roles including search and rescue operations, natural disasters and protecting the country’s resources.
Defence Minister Andrew Little, flanked by No. 5 Squadron Wing Commander Mark Whiteside and chief of Air Force Air Vice Marshal Andrew Clark, said New Zealand took maritime security seriously because it had a large, exclusive economic zone and responsibilities in the Pacific.
He said the fleet was chosen after they had looked at what capabilities were available on the market, and because it was supported around the world, making maintenance easier.
It would also “meet the needs” of the Air Force – “whether it's a search and rescue operation or whether it's surveillance of suspect vessels, and we need to be able to get there quickly and this will give us the ability to do that”.
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Little said it was “really good” to be standing on the tarmac next to the fleet, which had been operating since July 1.
“Today is about recognising that all four of our P-8A Poseidon aircraft have arrived now, so that makes up the full complement of aircraft we will have for maritime surveillance and the other operations the P3 Orions previously did.
“We’ve still got a way to go to complete the hangar and associated facilities, but it won’t be long now before we have the full range of capabilities ... so yeah, it’s very satisfying to get to this point.”
No 5 Squadron, a maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare squadron, relocated to Ōhakea from RNZAF Base Auckland.
Clark said the move had been easier than anticipated but involved the relocation of families who had “jobs and schools” to a “completely new environment”.
”But it’s not the first time the squadron’s had to do that. If we go right back to the 1960s the squadron was based out of Fiji for a couple of decades.
”Yeah, it’s a really big deal getting people and their families [here] ... but actually it’s been a simpler process than we thought it would be.”
Clark said the fleet would be tasked with a variety of missions including fisheries surveillance “on our own coastline”, to supporting Pacific countries with “international organised crime”.
“Just creating that awareness of what’s actually happening in our neighbourhood around the Pacific.”
He said they would also contribute to search and rescue responses and “the international rules-based system when we do deployments, for example, counter piracy or supporting UN operations”.
“Underneath all of that is a basic level of training for those military response options, you know, should the security environment around us deteriorate.”
He said it was “fantastic” to see the fleet ready and “great to know your next generation of a capability is in hand and now delivering operations for New Zealand”.
