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Royal New Zealand Air Force - Maritime Patrol Aircraft Boeing P-8A Poseidon |
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| 11/23 |
| Aircraft (4): |
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Serials: NZ4801 / NZ4802 / NZ4803 / NZ4804 Operator: No.5 Squadron RNZAF Homebase: RNZAF Base Ohakea |
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The Boeing P-8 Poseidon is an American long-range maritime patrol
and reconnaissance aircraft developed and produced by Boeing
Defense, Space & Security, and derived from the civilian Boeing
737-800. The P-8 operates in the anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASUW), and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) roles. It is armed with torpedoes, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and other weapons, can drop and monitor sonobuoys, and can operate in conjunction with other assets, including the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). New Zealand Air Force service: Boeing publicly identified the Royal New Zealand Air Force as a potential customer in 2008, as a replacement for its P-3 Orions, due for replacement in 2025. In April 2017, the U.S. State Department approved the possible foreign military sale of up to four P-8As with equipment and support, valued at US$1.46 billion (~$1.6 billion in 2021). In July 2018, the New Zealand government announced the purchase of four P-8As, to begin operations in 2023. Four P-8As were ordered in March 2019. The RNZAF is planning to operate the type for at least 30 years. In September 2020, the inaugural Royal New Zealand Air Force crew for the P-8A graduated training at Jacksonville, Florida. This crew will then qualify as instructors to train the first RNZAF crews back in New Zealand. The first P-8A was delivered in December 2022, the second arrived in March 2023 and the third in May. The fourth aircraft was delivered in August 2023. Specifications: Crew: Flight: two; Mission: seven Capacity: 19,800 lb (9,000 kg) Length: 129 ft 5 in (39.47 m) Wingspan: 123 ft 6 in (37.64 m) Height: 42 ft 1 in (12.83 m) Empty weight: 138,300 lb (62,730 kg) Max takeoff weight: 189,200 lb (85,820 kg) Powerplant: 2 x CFM56-7B27A turbofans, 27,300 lbf (121 kN) thrust each Maximum speed: 564 mph (907 km/h, 490 kn) Cruise speed: 509 mph (815 km/h, 440 kn) Combat range: 1,383 mi (2,225 km, 1,200 nmi) radius with 4 hours on station for anti-submarine warfare mission Ferry range: 5,200 mi (8,300 km, 4,500 nmi) Service ceiling: 41,000 ft (12,496 m) Armament: Hardpoints: 11 total Internal bay with 5 hardpoints and 6 external hardpoints for a variety of conventional weapons, e.g. AGM-84 Harpoon, AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER, AGM-88 AARGM-ER, AGM-158C LRASM, Mark 54 torpedo, naval mines, depth charges, and the High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapon Capability (HAAWC) system. Systems: Raytheon AN/APY-10 multi-mission surface search radar AN/ALQ-240 Electronic Support Measures Suite AN/APS-154 Advanced Airborne Sensor sources: wikipedia/Boeing |
| No. 5 Squadron RNZAF |
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No. 5 Squadron RNZAF is a squadron
of the Royal New Zealand Air Force formed during November 1941
in Fiji. Following the war, the Squadron was re-equipped with 16 Short Sunderland MR.5s and based at Laucala Bay, in the suburbs of Suva, Fiji, tasked with maritime surveillance "over the vast South Pacific Ocean, medical evacuation flights, and communications flights for the colonial administrators." From 1965, the Squadron relocated to Whenuapai, Auckland, to re-equip with five Lockheed P-3B Orions in the anti-submarine role. The Squadron withdrew its last flight of Sunderlands from Laucala Bay in 1967. The P-3B fleet was upgraded in the mid 1980s (Project Rigel) with a more modern radar (APS-134), an IRDS camera, a digital computing bus, and electronic displays/information management system. They were subsequently redesignated P-3K. A sixth aircraft was purchased from the RAAF during the Project Rigel upgrade. No. 5 Squadron won the Fincastle Trophy for anti-submarine work on a number of occasions, although in recent years the focus has shifted from anti-submarine warfare to broader maritime patrol and search and rescue missions. The aircraft have been deployed to assist international efforts on several occasions. From May 2003 to February 2004, a detachment operated in support of Operation Enduring Freedom by patrolling the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman. In October 2004, a contract was signed with L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, of the United States, to upgrade the aircraft’s communication, navigation and surveillance, and data management systems. The contract also included an upgrade of crew training, software testing and integration facilities, and mission preparation and analysis systems. In 2005, the first of the six P-3K Orions began being upgraded to the new P-3K2 standard, modernising the avionics and mission systems. In January 2006, No. 5 Squadron conducted trials to prove the aircraft could operate from Antarctica. This would improve capabilities to better police illegal fishing, and the trial occurred at a time when New Zealand was under pressure to intervene in the increasingly heated dispute between Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and Japanese commercial whaling ships. In 2006, an Orion was used to photograph Raoul Island after a small volcanic eruption killed a Department of Conservation (DOC) worker. On the 2 May 2011, the RNZAF accepted the first upgraded P-3K2 Orion from the Ministry of Defence. The aircraft is due to undergo a period of Operational Testing and Evaluation (OT&E) before commencing active use. Following the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH-370 in March 2014, an RNZAF P-3K2 Orion was deployed to RAAF Base Butterworth to assist with the search for the Boeing 777. The Orion aircraft and crew was then re-tasked and conducted their operations from RAAF Base Pearce near Perth, Western Australia, searching the Southern Indian Ocean for MH-370 alongside other international aircraft and crews. As of March 2015, all six RNZAF P-3K2 Orions are fully operational after their comprehensive upgrades. In December 2015 the final aircraft and crew rotation returned from a 16-month operation deployed to the Middle East. The deployment supported Combined Maritime Forces in maritime security, anti-terrorism, anti-narcotics, and anti-piracy operations. The detachment completed over 170 missions and flew over 1400 hours. The category five Tropical Cyclone Winston caused widespread damage to Fiji in February 2016. A RNZAF P-3K2 Orion was launched and conducted reconnaissance flights less than 24 hours after the cyclone had devastated the archipelago. The imagery captured from the P-3K2 Orion was published widely to raise international awareness of the humanitarian situation. This imagery was instrumental in determining the needs of the worst-hit areas in hours, rather than the days usually required for traditional ground surveys. P-3K2 Orion aircraft conducted multiple surveys in 2017 of the Ambae volcano, located in the Vanuatu archipelago, following increasing levels of volcanic activity. This information was used to assist the Vanuatu National Disaster Management Office in preparation for major volcanic eruptions. A P-3K2 Orion was deployed to the Pacific in January 2018 following the sinking of the MV Butiraoi, a Kiribati ferry carrying over fifty passengers. Seven survivors were located drifting in a dinghy, and their rescue was coordinated by the P-3K2 crew. In the seven years from 2010 to 2017, P-3K2 search and rescue operations have saved 119 lives, rescued 92 people, and assisted 67 people. In February 2018 the final aircraft and crew rotation returned from a further deployment to the Middle East. Over the course of the deployment 135 missions and over 1000 hours were flown supporting Combined Maritime Forces. The deployment worked towards improving maritime security in the region, preventing piracy, and narcotics and weapons smuggling. During the deployment information provided by the P-3K2 Orion led to the seizure of over $700 million of heroin. A P-3K2 Orion and crew were deployed to Japan in Sep-Oct 2018 and again in Oct-Nov 2019 to help implement United Nations Security Council resolutions against North Korea. The P-3K2 flew alongside international partners to detect maritime activity that contravened UN sanctions, in particular, ship-to-ship transfers. The Government announced in October 2020 its decision to again deploy a P-3K2 Orion long-range maritime patrol aircraft to support implementation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions imposing sanctions against North Korea. This was New Zealand's third deployment of a P-3K2 following previous deployments during October- November 2019 and in September-October 2018. P-8A Poseidon: In April 2017 it was revealed that the New Zealand Government was considering buying four Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from the United States to replace the Orions. On 9 July 2018 the government confirmed the purchase, with the Poseidon to be delivered and operational by 2023, requiring relocation of the squadron to RNZAF Base Ohakea. The first P-8A Poseidon was delivered in December 2022 and the last two of the P3K2 orions were retired in January 2023 . The second P-8A was delivered in March 2023 and the remaining two aircraft are expected to be delivered by mid-2023. source: wikipedia  |
| images |
 Boeing P-8A Poseidon - NZ4801  Boeing P-8A Poseidon - NZ4801  Boeing P-8A Poseidon - NZ4801 Boeing P-8A Poseidon - NZ4801  Boeing P-8A Poseidon - NZ4801  Boeing P-8A Poseidon - NZ4801  Boeing P-8A Poseidon - NZ4801  Boeing P-8A Poseidon - NZ4801  Boeing P-8A Poseidon - NZ4801  Boeing P-8A Poseidon - NZ4802  Boeing P-8A Poseidon - NZ4802  Boeing P-8A Poseidon - NZ4802  Boeing P-8A Poseidon - NZ4802  Boeing P-8A Poseidon - NZ4802  Boeing P-8A Poseidon - NZ4802  Boeing P-8A Poseidon - NZ4803  Boeing P-8A Poseidon - NZ4803  Boeing P-8A Poseidon - NZ4803  Boeing P-8A Poseidon - NZ4803  Boeing P-8A Poseidon - NZ4804  |
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