New Zealand will deploy a single Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to support sanctions against North Korea, marking Wellington’s first Asian deployment of the type.
The aircraft will operate from Japan for patrols during April and May in support of UN Security Council sanctions that seek to dissuade Pyongyang from its continued work on ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.
“This is the first time one of our Poseidons has been deployed operationally overseas, the first time we have operated in Asia, which will be the furthest deployment away from New Zealand, and the first time we have used this aircraft in support of New Zealand’s contribution to uphold UN Security Council sanctions enforcement,” says Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Air Commodore Andy Scott.
The work will involve flying over international waters, looking for illicit ship-to-ship transfers of items such as oil and coal.
However, the deployment is actually the sixth time that New Zealand has sent patrol aircraft to support sanctions against North Korea, having previously dispatched the now-retired Lockheed Martin P-3K2 Orion.
Other nations confirmed to have conducted patrol work in support of sanctions against Pyongyang include Canada, Japan and the USA.
The RNZAF took delivery of its fourth and final P-8A in July 2023. Wellington had retired its P-3K2 fleet several months prior to the arrival of its first P-8A in December 2022.
New Zealand is the Asia-Pacific region’s fourth P-8 operator, after Australia, India and South Korea. While Australia and South Korea operate the stock P-8A, India operates a special P-8I Neptune variant equipped with indigenous systems.
