New Zealand P-8 Training

The US Navy has awarded Boeing a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract, valued at $109 million, to provide P-8A Poseidon training for the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). A suite of training systems and courseware will prepare RNZAF aircrew and maintainers to safely and effectively operate and maintain the maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft for decades to come.

Boeing's holistic P-8 training system will enable the RNZAF to conduct up to 70% of all Poseidon-related training in a simulated environment. As part of the contract, Boeing will provide an Operational Flight Trainer (OFT); weapons tactics trainer which simulates mission systems and tactical operations, and when coupled with the OFT, forms a Weapons Systems Trainer that enables multi-crew, high-fidelity mission rehearsal training in the same simulated environment; virtual maintenance trainer; scenario generation station, which creates custom scenarios for mission training; and brief/debrief station to provide post-mission analysis and playback.

In addition, Boeing's electronic classroom will give RNZAF instructors and students access to courseware and testing capabilities. Boeing will also provide Instructor Cadre Training to a group of RNZAF instructors, enabling them to continue training additional RNZAF P-8A instructors and aircrews following delivery of the training system in early 2024.

All training will be conducted in Ohakea, New Zealand. In March 2020, the RNZAF acquired four P-8A Poseidon aircraft through the US Navy FMS process, with expected delivery beginning in 2023. New Zealand is one of seven nations operationg the P-8A.