Page 6 - AVALON 2023 - Day 1 | DAILY NEWS

The fleet was withdrawn five months ahead
© Gordon Arthur
of schedule, because the RNZAF was suf-
fering staff shortages and maintenance
issues.

The RNZAF retired the first of its P-3K2
Orions on 24 September 2021. It had arrived
in New Zealand in January 1967, and had
flown more than 27,000 hours. Then, on
21 January 2022, the second Orion retired
with more than 22,000 flight hours in its log-
book. The next to be withdrawn conducted
its last flight on 29 July last year.
NZ SAYS, ‘GOODBYE, ORION…’
The retired aircraft are being stored at
The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) To be brutally honest, these aircraft were RNZAF Base Woodbourne in Blenheim. On
11 February 2022, the MoD issued a tender
retired the last of its Lockheed P-3K2 Orion geriatric, and truly deserved their retire- seeking a company to dispose of five
maritime patrol aircraft in January. Two air- ment. Over their six-decade service, the
craft conducted farewell flights over both Orions found hundreds of missing sailors Orions, associated support systems and
the North and South Islands, and the pair and fishermen, and were often the first spares. The results of that tender are not
eventually touched down at Woodbourne assets deployed to disaster zones. The known, but one aircraft has been allocated
Orions cumulatively achieved 150,000 to the Air Force Museum in Christchurch.
near Blenheim on 31 January.
hours of service.
The first Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime © RNZAF
patrol aircraft, resplendent in grey and bear-
ing the serial number ‘NZ4801’, touched
down at RNZAF Base Ohakea on 12
December 2022. It is the first of a quartet
of P-8As that New Zealand has procured.

This particular aircraft, the 155th Poseidon
to be manufactured for six global custom-
ers so far, had performed its maiden flight
on 16 August 2022 and been handed over
to the RNZAF in Seattle on 7 December.
Its ferry flight took it home via Honolulu
and Fiji.

Sarah Minson, acting Deputy Secretary
Capability Delivery at New Zealand’s MoD,
commented: ‘As a maritime nation, delivery
of the P-8A will ensure New Zealand main-
tains a patrol and response capability that
will protect and support law enforcement in …AND ‘HELLO, POSEIDON!’
our exclusive economic zone and Southern
Ocean. The P-8A will also assist our South 5 Squadron of the RNZAF from Ohakea. a new entity called Boeing New Zealand
Pacific neighbours and deliver long-range This location is interesting, because the Limited. An initial contract, covering engi-
search and rescue capability.’ Orions had previously flown from RNZAF neering and supply chain services, lasts for
Base Whenuapai. This necessitated new a six-year period up till September 2028,
The three remaining P-8As are due to be hangars and facilities to be built at Ohakea, with options for three-yearly increments
delivered this year, which is a critical fact plus the relocation of 250 personnel in the after that.
given that the Orions have all been retired squadron.
and the RNZAF currently has only one mari- The P-8A procurement contract worth
time patrol aircraft available for operations. Some NZD250 million worth of infra- NZD2.346 billion (USD1.6 billion) was
structure has been built at Ohakea to signed on 9 July 2018.
Their duties will include maritime surveil- accommodate the new aircraft. It includes
lance, resource protection, search and two hangars, maintenance and support As the RAAF is a relatively longstanding
rescue, humanitarian aid and disaster facilities, warehousing and a mission sup- operator of the P-8A, the RNZAF will doubt-
response, and peace and security oper- port centre. The final parts of the build lessly have chewed Australian ears as to
ations both around New Zealand and in should be completed by the end of this year. how to get the most out of the aircraft and
surrounding regions like the South Pacific. how to operate them. Additionally, Boeing
Boeing Defence Australia will provide sus- Defence Australia has a contract for P-8A
The four P-8As will be operated by No. tainment services for the aircraft, under deeper maintenance for the RAAF.

6 | FEBRUARY-28-2023 WWW.GBP.COM.SG/DAILY NEWS