Boeing delivered the first of four P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) to the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) during a ceremony at the Museum of Flight in Seattle Washington, on December 7.

This milestone delivery comes four years after the New Zealand government entered into an agreement with the US Navy to acquire the P-8A to replace its ageing fleet of six Lockheed P-3K2 Orion MPAs – the majority of which were initially delivered to the RNZAF in 1966. When operational, New Zealand’s first Poseidon (serial NZ4801) will be stationed at RNZAF Base Ohakea – located 25km northwest of Palmerston North in the Manawatu – along with three more P-8As, which are currently in various stages of production and will all be delivered by the end of 2023.

Highlighting the important role the P-8A will play in RNZAF service during the type’s handover ceremony on December 7, Sarah Minson – acting Deputy Secretary Capability Delivery with the New Zealand Ministry of Defence (MOD) – said: “As a maritime nation, delivery of the P-8A will ensure New Zealand maintains a patrol and response capability that will protect and support law enforcement in our Exclusive Economic Zone and Southern Ocean. The P-8A will also assist our South Pacific neighbours and deliver long-range search and rescue capability.”

New Zealand’s journey to acquiring its first Poseidon began on April 28, 2017, when the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced that the US State Department had approved the possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) of four P-8As to the nation in a deal worth up to $1.46bn. On February 28, 2019, Boeing was awarded a $428.8m advanced acquisition contract modification to provide long-lead material and activities to support the manufacture of 16 P-8As under production Lot 11 – which included six aircraft for the US Navy, four for the RNZAF and six for the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN). In March 2020, Boeing was formally awarded a fixed-price-incentive, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract – worth $1.55bn – to manufacture 18 P-8As under production Lot 11 – the number of aircraft ordered had been increased to accommodate two more examples for the US Navy.

Boeing has been keen to highlight that the global operational P-8A fleet has so-far amassed more than 450,000 mishap-free flight hours, adding that New Zealand will greatly benefit from the platform’s multi-mission capabilities. Philip June, vice president and program manager of P-8 Programs at Boeing said: “The unmatched, multi-mission maritime patrol capabilities of the P-8 will provide New Zealand the ability to extend their reach into the Pacific and beyond. New Zealand joins eight other global customers including nearby Australia that have selected or already operate the P-8 and benefit greatly from its long-range maritime surveillance and warfare capabilities.”