20 Juli 2023
Fourth and final P-8A Poseidon for New Zealand (photo : RNZAF)
Signed, sealed, delivered. Our fourth and final P-8A Poseidon has arrived home to Base Ohakea. The Poseidon touched down after a flight from The Boeing Company’s workshops in the United States.
New Zealand’s Airborne Surveillance and Response Force (ASRF) is provided by No. 5 Squadron. With the retirement of the Lockheed P-3K2 Orion aircraft in early 2023, our Air Force will be equipped with four Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft.
Following operational release, the P-8A Poseidon will conduct a range of tasks including aerial surveillance of New Zealand’s areas of interest such as the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the South Pacific and the Southern Ocean including the Ross Dependency and Antarctica. They will support a range of Government agencies, including Ministry for Primary Industries, New Zealand Customs, New Zealand Police, and the Department of Conservation.