Purchase of planes ‘statement’ for NZ
The Government is expected to next week announce it is buying a new fleet of Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft.
Cabinet will make its final decision on Monday on the purchase of up to four of the planes, estimated to cost up to $2 billion, to replace the ageing P-3 Orions.
The announcement will follow the release of the strategic defence policy statement tomorrow.
Defence Minister Ron Mark has strongly signalled the Government will go ahead with the purchase of the P-8s, which would give New Zealand increased reconnaissance capabilities, especially when it comes to hunting submarines.
The regional trend towards the plane comes as concerns about submarine activity grows – a trend driven, in large part, by China’s undersea technological advances.
South Korea, Australia and India have also opted for the P-8A Poseidon.
Professor Robert Ayson, from Victoria University’s Centre for Strategic Studies, said if the Government bought the planes it would be the most important defence capability choice made in a generation.
The process to buy the aircraft was started under the previous government but stalled.
In April 2017, the United States government’s State Department approved the sale of up to four of the planes, with the estimated cost being $2.2b.
When the coalition Government took office, Mark reviewed the proposal, before taking it to the Cabinet government administration and expenditure review committee last month.
Last week, Acting Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters said: ‘‘New Zealand needs to apply all the levers at its disposal to advance our national interests and protect our sovereignty.
‘‘In the context of increasing uncertainty in the Asia-Pacific region and our own Pacific reset, it has been timely to carry out a review of defence strategic policy.’’
Peters said the replacement of the failing P-3s would be the next significant step in defence procurement.
The navy’s 2017-2027 plan said keeping the ocean and sea lines of communication for trade was vital to New Zealand’s security and economic future. ‘‘This is a task that requires a broad array of partners, and is not one that we can afford to leave to others.’’
Ayson said buying the aircraft made a foreign policy statement and a statement about New Zealand’s commitment to being combat-ready.
The planes would also signal a willingness to continue to work with traditional partners such as Australia and the US.
Australia wanted New Zealand to have combat-ready capabilities and investment in hi-tech equipment backed New Zealand’s constant comments about Australia being its most important partner, which it would defend, if needed.
Regardless of Australia and the US, New Zealand still had reason to buy the P-8s, Ayson said, adding that maintaining maritime awareness and being seen as a contributor in the wider Asia-Pacific by countries such as Japan and Singapore was also in New Zealand’s interests.
Lowy Institute defence expert and senior research fellow Euan Graham said the P-8 was expensive but would give New Zealand the capability to hunt submarines and much more capable maritime reconnaissance than a simpler, cheaper platform designed for search and rescue, and other ‘‘low-end’’ defence tasks.
It would also give New Zealand the ability to contribute assets that were valued in US-led coalitions, if the New Zealand Government decided that was in the country’s national interests.
Meanwhile, Australia’s bottom line concern was to have inter-operability between aircraft, he said.
The procurement announcement comes at a time when maintenance costs of the old planes are spiking.