New Zealand took delivery of the first of four
Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft on Wednesday.
The milestone delivery comes four years after the
New Zealand Government entered into an agreement with the U.S.
Navy for the P-8A.
New Zealand’s three remaining P-8 aircraft are all
in advanced stages of production and will be delivered in 2023.
The aircraft will replace New Zealand’s current fleet of six P-3K2 Orions and will be based at Royal New Zealand Air Force Base
Ohakea.
“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,” said Sarah Minson, acting Deputy
Secretary Capability Delivery, New Zealand Ministry of Defence.
“The P-8A will also assist our South Pacific neighbors and deliver
long-range search and rescue capability.”
Boeing Defence Australia has also been contracted
to provide sustainment services for New Zealand’s fleet with the
support of the P-8 International Program.
“The unmatched, multi-mission maritime patrol
capabilities of the P-8 will provide New Zealand the ability to
extend their reach into the Pacific and beyond,” said Philip June,
vice president and program manager, P-8 Programs. “New Zealand
joins eight other global customers including nearby Australia that
have selected or already operate the P-8 and benefit greatly from
its long-range maritime surveillance and warfare capabilities.”
The P-8 is a
long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare,
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft capable of
broad-area, maritime and littoral operations. In addition, the P-8
performs humanitarian and search and rescue missions around the
globe.
To date, the global operating P-8 fleet has
amassed more than 450,000 flight hours.
