RNZAF Base Ohakea welcomed the arrival of a third P-8A Poseidon on 19 May, following a long flight from the Boeing Company’s workshops in Seattle.
No. 5 Squadron will operate four Poseidons, which replace their predecessors, the P-3K2 Orions. The squadron’s six Orions were retired in January after 55 years of service.
The Poseidon is a long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft capable of broad-area, maritime and littoral operations, including humanitarian aid and disaster relief missions.
The fourth and final Boeing delivery will arrive by mid-2023. The first Boeing arrived in New Zealand on 12 December 2022 and the second on 20 March 2023.
(NZDF)