Poseidon All Blacks

New Zealand to Purchase Four Boeing P-8A Poseidon

The Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol planes are expected to replace a fleet of retiring P-3K planes. (photo : Air Team)

Defence Minister Ron Mark one step closer to replacing old military planes

Defence Minister Ron Mark is one step closer to making the biggest defence procurements in recent years.

Mark will take his proposal to purchase up to four Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol planes from the United States to the Cabinet Government Administration and Expenditure Review Committee on Monday.

The planes, which would replace replace its retiring P-3 maritime patrol fleet, could cost up to US$1.4 billion (NZ$2.03 billion).This would be one of the most significant purchases, since the frigate upgrade.

Ron Mark's procurement proposal will go to the Cabinet committee on Monday. And while he said he did not want to preempt the final Cabinet decision, he told people to "buckle up".

However, the New Zealand Defence Force says the price is likely to be less than that.

Once the Cabinet committee had seen the proposal, it would have to go to Cabinet, before a decision on the purchase was made. There was no set date for the proposal to go to cabinet, but Mark said that was expected to happen before the end of July.

During a Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Select Committee hearing earlier this month, Mark said he had to start "from scratch" on the procurement plan, when he took on the job as minister, last year.

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