Since 2015, the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) has had 92 of its P-3K2 missions intercepted by foreign jets in the Middle East and East Asia regions, according to information provided by the RNZAF’s Chief of Staff, Air Commodore AJ Woods.
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Geoff McKay from Palmerston North, New Zealand, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The exact locations and identities of the foreign powers involved in the intercepts have been withheld by the RNZAF due to national security concerns under the Official Information Act.
In June, the Herald requested information from the New Zealand Defence Force (Defence) about all intercepts of their aircraft in recent years. The request was prompted by an incident in May when a Chinese J-16 fighter jet intercepted a Royal Australian Air Force P-8 maritime surveillance aircraft in international airspace, leading to a deterioration of relations between China and Australia. In July, Defence denied the request in full, citing national security concerns. The Herald appealed the decision to the Ombudsman and asked for at least some broad details to be released, even if the exact locations were withheld. The Ombudsman conducted an investigation, but ultimately upheld Defence’s decision to keep the information confidential.
Air Commodore Woods provided the data the following month, without giving an explanation for why it was no longer deemed prejudicial to national security.
Defence announced on Dec. 13 that it will retire its five P-3K2 Orion aircraft five months ahead of schedule due to a shortage of personnel. The Orion aircraft are being replaced by new Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, with the first one arriving in New Zealand last week and the rest being delivered by mid-2023.
The P-3K2 is flown by No. 5 Squadron and they have six aircraft.
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