Defence Minister Andrew Little welcomes fourth and final P-8A Poseidon to Ōhakea air base

Defence Minister Andrew Little was at Ōhakea to welcome the last of the RNZAF's four P-8A Poseidons. Photo / Bevan Conley

The fourth and final P-8A Poseidon aircraft has arrived at the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Ōhakea base.

Defence Minister Andrew Little was on the ground to welcome it.

He said delivery of all the aircraft marked a significant milestone in the Government’s “historic investment in our defence capability to support the security and stability of our region”.

“The aircraft will be used by the RNZAF to 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.”

Tasks would also include resource protection, natural disaster support and search and rescue operations alongside Pacific partners, Little said.

Defence Minister Andrew Little (left) talks with the chief of the air force, Air Vice-Marshal Andrew Clark (centre) and No 5 Squadron Wing Commander Mark Whiteside. Photo / Bevan Conley

“The P-8A Poseidon aircraft replace the P-3K2 Orion aircraft, which served the RNZAF for nearly 60 years.

“The P-8As are faster, more reliable, and will be key to supporting national and international disaster responses as a result of climate change, which we know is a top security concern for the Pacific.

“With the fleet now complete, the Defence Force can be confident it has more resources to provide a meaningful response when tasked to do what it needs to.”

The new arrivals, built by Boeing, cost $2.3 billion in total.

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.

A $250 million two-hangar site, Te Whare Toroa, is currently being built at Ōhakea to house the aircraft.

The Poseidon has a top speed of 902km/h. Photo / FS Sam Shepherd

The chief of the air force, Air Vice-Marshal Andrew Clark, said completion of the hangars was still about 18 months away.

No 5 Squadron will now be based at Ōhakea, making the move south from Whenuapai, in Auckland.

Clark said it wasn’t the first time it had moved. The squadron was based out of Fiji for a couple of decades from the 1960s.

“It is a really big deal [moving] people and their families,” he said.

“They have jobs and schools but it’s been a simpler process than we thought it would be.

“There are still some elements yet to come down here and we don’t have a complete complement of people. Some people are still in training.”

No 5 Squadron will now be based at Ōhakea. Photo / FS Sam Shepherd

Little said that, as well as having a large EEZ, New Zealand had responsibilities stretching up into the Pacific and down into the Southern Ocean.

An EEZ is a maritime zone in which the coastal state has sovereign rights over the exploration and use of marine resources.

New Zealand’s EEZ is 20 times larger than its land mass and supports a “blue economy” estimated to be worth $4 billion a year.

“Whether it’s a search and rescue operation or surveillance or suspect vessels, we need to get here quickly,” Little said.

“This will give us the ability to do that.”