// Maritime Patrol Force

The Maritime Patrol Force of six Orions is operated by No.5 Squadron at RNZAF Base Auckland. The P-3K Orion is an ideal platform for long range surveillance. It has a range of over 6000 kilometers and can remain on station for up to 8 hours at 1400 kilometers. It has a relatively high transit speed to operating areas, and responds easily to any task once airborne. New Zealand's baseline requirement for maritime surveillance of our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is to maintain a presence out to 1400 kilometers for up to 72 hours. This radius enables surveillance coverage of most areas of ocean within our EEZ and those of our South Pacific Neighbours.

Current Tasks

Surveillance activities in New Zealand’s area of interest include monitoring international shipping, pleasure craft, and foreign fishing vessel activity, conducting Exclusive Economic Zone surveillance and enforcement operations and customs surveillance activities. Vessels are located, identified, photographed, and if required challenged, and reported to the tasking authority and the National Maritime Coordination Centre.

The Maritime Patrol Force plays a big part in military tasks such as maritime surveillance, reconnaissance, and anti-surface vessel and anti-submarine warfare. These tasks involve searching for, locating, identifying, tracking and reporting contacts of interest. The Orion is armed with depth charges or torpedoes in the anti-submarine role.

The Maritime Patrol Force is also responsible for long range search and rescue, mostly searching for ships and yachts in distress. These search and rescue missions are coordinated by Maritime New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Centre through the Defence Force Joint Headquarters. On a search and rescue mission the Orion will carry supply containers, life rafts, smoke markers, flares and sonar buoys all of which can be dropped to assist with a rescue. Patrols are often long, tiring and carried out in arduous conditions with high crew work rates. As with all aircraft operations, the focus is on the airborne operation and the ground crews work long and hard to keep each aircraft serviceable.

Future Directions

A programme to upgrade the Orion's mission systems is underway. Consultation with Government agencies like Fisheries, Customs and Immigration has led to the development of a requirement for a 'single' maritime surveillance role. This requirement (in addition to military requirements) will be met by a programme which upgrades the aircrafts surveillance sensors, communications, navigation, and data-management systems and flight deck systems. A separate project will address the issue of arming the Orion.

These projects will breathe new life into the Orion and ensure that the RNZAF is able to continue to provide effective maritime surveillance for New Zealand and contribute to regional security.