BYAARON BAILEy Four examples of the type have been delivered to the RNZAF.
New Zealand welcomed its first Poseidon P8-A in December 2022. Since then, the multibillion-dollar investment by its local government has welcomed three more variants, with the last arriving in July 2023. The New Zealand Government chose Boeing’s military-grade Poseidon aircraft to aid the country’s peace and security operations, alongside in-depth maritime surveillance for the South Pacific country. In addition, the aircraft is deployed for resource protection, with humanitarian and disaster response a critical use domestically and throughout the South Pacific.
Used for various tasks, the aerial surveillance of New Zealand is vital to its protection. For the country, a watch over the exclusive economic zone in the South Pacific and Southern Ocean, which includes the Ross Dependency and Antarctica, is essential. The aircraft supports a range of government agencies, such as New Zealand Customs, the Police, the Department of Conservation, and the Ministry for Primary Industries.
Photo: New Zealand Defence Force
Boeing’s P-8A Poseidon is a multi-mission aircraft that the American aircraft manufacturer developed to replace the United States Navy’s aging P-3 Orion. Since its inception, it has been chosen by various militaries worldwide, including Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Republic of Korea, Germany, Norway, and India, in which the design of the aircraft is purpose-built for patrolling maritime environments.
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Four were ordered and delivered.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Defence ordered four aircraft in a deal worth NZ $2.346 billion ($1.5 billion) to replace its six aging P-3K2 Orion. Upon delivery of the aircraft, The No.5 Squadron of the Royal New Zealand Airforce was tasked to operate the aircraft and relocated from the northern Whenuapai Air Base (north of Auckland) south to Ohakea Air Base (two hours north of Wellington).
Used for various tasks, the aerial surveillance of New Zealand is vital to its protection. For the country, a watch over the exclusive economic zone in the South Pacific and Southern Ocean, which includes the Ross Dependency and Antarctica, is essential. The aircraft supports a range of government agencies, such as New Zealand Customs, the Police, the Department of Conservation, and the Ministry for Primary Industries.
Photo: New Zealand Defence Force
Boeing’s P-8A Poseidon is a multi-mission aircraft that the American aircraft manufacturer developed to replace the United States Navy’s aging P-3 Orion. Since its inception, it has been chosen by various militaries worldwide, including Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Republic of Korea, Germany, Norway, and India, in which the design of the aircraft is purpose-built for patrolling maritime environments.
Get the latest aviation news straight to your inbox: Sign up for our newsletters today.
Four were ordered and delivered.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Defence ordered four aircraft in a deal worth NZ $2.346 billion ($1.5 billion) to replace its six aging P-3K2 Orion. Upon delivery of the aircraft, The No.5 Squadron of the Royal New Zealand Airforce was tasked to operate the aircraft and relocated from the northern Whenuapai Air Base (north of Auckland) south to Ohakea Air Base (two hours north of Wellington).
In addition to the No. 5 squadron relocating from Whenuapai to Ohakea, NZ $250 million ($160 million) has been spent on constructing two new hangers, a training center, and an administration block. With growth at the base from the squadron’s move, the population on the base increased from 1,000 to an estimated 1,200. In September 2020, the Royal New Zealand Air Force sent its inaugural crew to Jacksonville, Florida, to learn to operate the aircraft. These RNZAF pilots then qualified as instructors to enable the teaching of crew on return to New Zealand.
Other variants of the P-8
Boeing Defence has developed four variants of the aircraft:
- P-8A Poseidon – This variant was developed for the US Navy and has proven popular in other nations
- P-8I Neptune – A specific variant developed for the Indian Navy, including CAE Inc AN/ASQ-508A Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) and Griffon Corporation Telephonics APS-143C(V)3 multi-mode aft radar added
- Poseidon MRA1 – The Royal Air Force (UK) aircraft variant. The UK’s designation for the P-8A.
- P-8 AGS – An Airborne, Ground Surveillance variant proposed for the United States Air Force in 2010 to replace its E-8 Joint STARS fleet; it would be equipped with a pod-mounted, active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.
JCs Royal New Zealand Navy Ships and New Zealand Defence 