Operation Antarctica

Operation Antarctica is one of our largest summer deployments, and it’s one of our most enduring missions.

The NZDF has been contributing personnel to work on the icy continent since the 1950s, supporting important international scientific and environmental programmes.

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has kicked off its summer season in Antarctica with its first ice flights for the season, in support of New Zealand and United States Antarc...

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A Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) C-130H Hercules crew has today carried out a rare medical evacuation of a patient from Antarctica, taking advantage of a narrowing gap in t...

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Crew on a Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) C-130H (NZ) Hercules have conducted a successful medical evacuation (medevac) from Antarctica, a challenging mission given a rapidl...

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Seeing dozens of orca whales in their pods, attempting cross country skiing and gazing out across the snow to Mount Erebus are among the highlights of a deployment to Antarctica...

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The first Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) flights of the Antarctic season headed south in recent days, transporting personnel and supplies, and Sergeant Justin Dark knows wh...

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The New Zealand Defence Force’s (NZDF) long-running support to Antarctica New Zealand and science and research programmes is under way for the summer season as the first fligh...

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Do pipes freeze in Antarctica? Not if we can help it, say Army plumbers.

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One of our oldest ongoing missions is Operation Antarctica.

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For nearly 70 years the Royal New Zealand Air Force has been an important presence in the frozen continent of Antarctica.

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Suffering a maintenance problem on the icy runways of Antarctica is not ideal. But when a major propeller fault on a C-130 Hercules aircraft recently occurred, a dedicated team ...

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The first group of New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel have arrived in Antarctica on the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s first ice flight for the 2022/23 season.

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Christchurch is one of only five gateways in the world to Antarctica and it’s the Harewood Terminal team who work behind the scenes to help make New Zealand’s contribution t...

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A team of six Air Force senior aviation fuel specialists and a New Zealand Army petrol operator made their way to Antarctica for the 2021/22 summer season to offload a combined ...

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The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) completed its Antarctica support for the 2021/22 season with a final flight to the ice in March.

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The capability of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) ship HMNZS Aotearoa has now been proven following the successful completion of its first resupply mission to Antarctica.

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Last December New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) Aircraft Rescue Firefighters were deployed to support the United States Antarctic Program.

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Fresh from her deployment to Tonga where she provided essential aid supplies, refuelling services and water generation, HMNZS Aotearoa has now sailed from Lyttelton and is headi...

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Aircrew on a Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules have carried out a medical evacuation of a patient from McMurdo Station in Antarctica.

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The Antarctica 2020/21 summer season proved a busy time for air movements personnel based in Christchurch after they managed the transportation of more than one million kilos of...

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