New helicopters for NZDF

Judith Collins announced:

The Defence Force’s ageing maritime helicopters will be replaced to increase the defensive and offensive capability and surveillance range of New Zealand’s frigates, Defence Minister Judith Collins announced today.

“The replacement of the Seasprite helicopters will also extend the Navy’s ability to support non-combat tasks such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” Ms Collins says. 

“Together with a $957 million investment in Defence Force activities, personnel and estate, the $2 billion plus budgeted to replace the helicopters represents the first tranche of the Government’s $12 billion of planned commitments to upgrade the Defence Force over the next four years.

This is good to see. We only purchased the helicopters in 2015, but they were second hand. They were originally manufactured in the 1990s, and the airframes may even be from the 1970s or 1980s. So definitely time to replace them.