New Zealand to buy new Boeing maritime patrol planes

The new planes will begin operations in 2023


Afp July 09, 2018
The planes, a modified version of the Boeing 737 commercial airliner, will replace an ageing fleet of six P-3 Orions which have been in service since the 1960s. PHOTO:REUTERS

WELLINGTON: New Zealand announced plans Monday to spend NZ$2.35 billion ($1.6 billion) on four Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from the US government to better monitor vast swathes of the Pacific.

The planes, a modified version of the Boeing 737 commercial airliner, will replace an ageing fleet of six P-3 Orions which have been in service since the 1960s, Defence Minister Ron Mark said.

"The purchase enables New Zealand to continue to deploy in a wide range of airborne maritime situations independently and, when required, work with partners including Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States," he said.

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New Zealand is responsible for a huge search and rescue area over the Southern Ocean and South Pacific. Wellington also regularly deploys military assets for regional humanitarian relief efforts.

Mark said the Poseidons had a greater speed and range than the aircraft they will replace and were essential for New Zealand's "ability to contribute to global security efforts".

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Approximately half of the budget would go towards purchasing the planes, which have state-of-the art radar and high-definition cameras, while the rest would be spent on costs such as infrastructure and flight simulators, Mark said.

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The new planes will begin operations in 2023.

The purchase comes just weeks after close neighbour Australia announced plans to invest $5.2 billion to develop and buy high-tech US drones for joint military operations and to monitor waters, including the South China Sea.

They will complement the seven P-8A Poseidon planes Australia currently uses.

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