Airforce gets slick Poseidon preview
The ‘‘best of the best’’ aircraft in maritime patrol will soon have a permanent home with New Zealand’s air force.
A visiting P-8A Poseidon aircraft, brought over by the United States navy, was on display at O¯ hakea air force base in Manawatu¯ yesterday, previewing the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s newest acquisition.
The Government has bought four new P-8 Poseidons, which cost $2.3 billion and will be in action by 2023. The planes, which haven’t been built yet, will replace New Zealand’s aging P-3 Orions.
The visit was to show off the new aircraft and for training with the No 5 squadron, which uses the Orions and will operate the Poseidons once the planes are in New Zealand.
Work will be done to upgrade O¯ hakea’s infrastructure to accommodate the Poseidons and about 200 people are expected to move from Auckland to O¯ hakea when the planes arrive.
A crew of eight from New Zealand will be sent to Jacksonville, Florida, for 21⁄2 years to train with the new aircraft and will become instructors in New Zealand. Crews will go over in 2022 for transition courses.
Patrol squadron 5 commander Carl White came from Jacksonville to showcase the Poseidon. ‘‘The P-8 brings the absolute best avionics, communications weapon systems and sensors, so it will allow and it does allow a global spectrum and this is just pretty incredible,’’ White said. ‘‘So it is simply the best of the best when it comes to maritime patrol.’’
O¯ hakea base commander, group captain Shaun Sexton, said the visit was to provide a joint training opportunity, and to give the air force a sense of what it would mean to operate the P-8 Poseidon.