The first Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, resplendent in grey and bearing 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 customers 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 maintains a patrol and response capability that will protect and support law enforcement in our exclusive economic zone and Southern Ocean. The P-8A will also assist our South Pacific neighbor’s and deliver long-range search and rescue capability.’
The three remaining P-8As are due to be delivered this year, which is a critical fact given that the Orions have all been retired and the RNZAF currently has only one maritime patrol aircraft available for operations.
Their duties will include maritime surveillance, resource protection, search and rescue, humanitarian aid and disaster response, and peace and security operations both around New Zealand and in surrounding regions like the South Pacific.
The four P-8As will be operated by No. 5 Squadron of the RNZAF from Ohakea. This location is interesting, because the Orions had previously flown from RNZAF Base Whenuapai. This necessitated new hangars and facilities to be built at Ohakea, plus the relocation of 250 personnel in the squadron.
Some NZD250 million worth of infrastructure has been built at Ohakea to accommodate the new aircraft. It includes two hangars, maintenance and support facilities, warehousing and a mission support centre. The final parts of the build should be completed by the end of this year.
Boeing Defence Australia will provide sustainment services for the aircraft, under a new entity called Boeing New Zealand Limited. An initial contract, covering engineering and supply chain services, lasts for a six-year period up till September 2028, with options for three-yearly increments after that.
The P-8A procurement contract worth NZD2.346 billion (USD1.6 billion) was signed on 9 July 2018.
As the RAAF is a relatively longstanding operator of the P-8A, the RNZAF will doubtlessly have chewed Australian ears as to how to get the most out of the aircraft and how to operate them. Additionally, Boeing Defence Australia has a contract for P-8A deeper maintenance for the RAAF.
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