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Boeing P-8A Poseidon

New Zealand’s Airborne Surveillance and Response Force (ASRF) is provided by No. 5 Squadron. After the retirement of the Air Force's Lockheed P-3K2 Orion aircraft in early 2023, No. 5 Squadron is now operating four Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft.

P 8A Poseidon

No.5 Squadron’s operational crews are pilots, air warfare officers and air warfare specialists.

The P-8A Poseidon can 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. They support a range of Government agencies, including Ministry for Primary Industries, New Zealand Customs, New Zealand Police, and the Department of Conservation.

These modern and capable aircraft support the community and our neighbours 24/7 for 365 days of the year with contingency capability for tasks such as search and rescue and support in the event of natural disasters.

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Fleet acquisition

In 2018 the Government announced it would be purchasing four Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from the United States Government.

The four aircraft are replacing six P-3K2 Orion maritime patrol aircraft that have been operated by the Royal New Zealand Air Force since the 1960s. The last P-3K2s retired on 31 January 2023.

The first P-8A Poseidon arrived in New Zealand on 12 December 2022. All four Poseidons are now at RNZAF Base Ohakea and the fleet is operational for taskings.

P8 first flight

First flight for the P-8A Poseidon

Specifications

Wing span

123.6ft (37.64m)

Height

42.1ft (12.83m)

Length

129.5ft (39.47m)

Propulsion

Two CFM56-7B engines, 27,300 thrust

Speed

470kts (903km/hr)

Range

1200nm with four hours on station

Ceiling

41,000ft (12,496m)

Crew

Nine

Max take-off

189,200lbs (85,820kg) gross weight

Still want to know more?

Read the 2023 special edition of Air Force News, which focusses on the P-8.

Read online(external link) or download the PDF (PDF, 3.7 MB).