A large crowd was on hand to inspect Ōhakea Air Base's new arrival. Photo / Bevan Conley
A large crowd was on hand to inspect Ōhakea Air Base's new arrival. Photo / Bevan Conley
The country’s top military brass has gathered at Ōhakea Air Base to welcome the first of four new P-8A Poseidon aircraft.
They will replace the fleet of six P-3 Orions, which have been in service for more than 50 years.
After today’s blessing of the aircraft by kaumatua Fred Holloway, Defence Minister Peeni Henare told guests the planes’ arrival was a significant milestone for the country, Defence Force and wider region.
However, he had been expecting a “flashier” colour.
The aircraft was designed and purpose-built to control maritime environments and monitor vessels on and below the surface, Henare said.
The new planes were built by Boeing and came with a total price tag of $2.53 billion.
Powered by two CFM56-7B engines, they have a top speed of 902km/h, a range of 2222km with four hours on station (flying above the area of interest), and a ceiling of 12,496m.
All four will be based at Ōhakea.
The P-3 Orion (left) has been replaced by the P-8A Poseidon. Photo / Bevan Conley
The remaining aircraft are scheduled to arrive by mid-2023 and will be housed in specially built hangers on the base, which will be finished next year.
Over the past 81 years, the Catalina, the Sunderland and the Orion had filled the role soon to be taken by the Poseidon, Air Vice-Marshal andChief of Air Force Andrew Clark said.
“Whether it’s saving lives at sea, securing our vast maritime resources, preventing transnational crime, building regional resilience or defending our region against military threats, the P-8, like the P-3 before it, has the breadth of versatility and the depth of capability to take the job on.
“Beyond the aircraft themselves, the flight deck and mission system simulators will streamline training within New Zealand.”
hhe New Zealand flight crew were trained in Jacksonville, Florida.
“It’s time now to put your preparation and your skills to work here at Ōhakea. It’s time to get the RNZAF [Royal New Zealand Air Force] P8 fleet into service,” Clark said.
Squadron leader Byron Wagstaff spent three years training in Florida with the US Navy, clocking up 1000 hours of flying between the simulator and the aircraft.
He said around 30 Poseidons were generally at that base on any given day.
“We can carry 22 people but generally a crew is made up of nine.
“There are two pilots, two tactical co-ordinators, and then four to five centre operators.”
Chief of the Air Force Air Vice-Marshal Andrew Clark (centre) is flanked by Secretary of Defence Andrew Bridgman (left) and Defence Minister Peeni Henare at Ōhakea. Photo / Bevan Conley
It was a lot smoother on the Poseidon compared with the Orion, tactical coordinator Reece Tamariki said.
He also trained in the US and was involved in a search and rescue operation using a Poseidon in the Bahamas while he was there.
“We got on top of the area and found the people in the water. It was a capsized boat.”
After a break for Christmas, there would be crew training to reintegrate in to New Zealand flying procedures, Wagstaff said.
“From there, we’re looking at a pretty aggressive timeline to get the aircraft stood up.
“We’re excited to get into it. It’s great to finally see the plane on the flight line.”
A flight line refers to the part of an airfield where planes are parked and serviced.
The P-8A will take over responsibility for all national and regional support to maritime search and rescue and humanitarian aid and disaster relief from July 1 next year.
Full operations should commence at the end of December 2023, enabling the fleet to support all NZDF military operations, along with Southern Ocean and Pacific Surveillance.
