New Zealand’s Ministry of Defence has released a tender to market for proposals to replace the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s two Boeing 757s by the end of 2027.
According to the 19 December announcement, the cost of maintenance and issues with reliability of the current fleet – alongside the competitiveness of the market – has meant “the business case process has been fast tracked”.
“This work has been fast tracked ahead of the upcoming Defence Capability Plan,” stated the Ministry. “However the final business case development will take into account any decisions made during this process.”
“Our New Zealand Defence Force has done a remarkable job keeping 30+ years old planes able to transport personnel and equipment throughout the Pacific and even Antarctica, as well as taking trade missions around the World.”
The procurement seeks to replace these aircraft with commercially available, off-the-shelf Boeing 737 Max 8 or Airbus A321 narrow-body aircraft, with its results used to inform the final business case for Cabinet consideration.
“I’m keen for us to not repeat the mistake of a previous government that bought 10 years old 757’s (already well-used) in 2003,” stated Defence Minister Judith Collins, on LinkedIn.
“Our New Zealand Defence Force has done a remarkable job keeping 30+ years old planes able to transport personnel and equipment throughout the Pacific and even Antarctica, as well as taking trade missions around the World,” she said.
“That sort of age makes it difficult to get spare parts and, as any classic vehicle owner will know, they take a lot of TLC.”
The pair of 757s were bought by the government in 2003, and in 2007 they received modifications, including installation of an upper deck cargo door, floor strengthening to carry heavier cargo, and upgraded engines.
Although mostly used for transporting cargo around the Pacific, the aircraft are often used to transport VIPs, such as the prime minister, on trade missions. But that high profile work has in recent years resulted in high profile embarrassments, with multiple breakdowns and frantic workarounds.
Official Information Act documents released to RNZ show the Defence Force has spent over $72 million over the past five years on scheduled and unscheduled maintenance on the 757s, as well as repair and overhaul work.
Despite the procurement of the strategic airlift capability being brought forward, the procurement of other big ticket – and needed – defence platforms remains uncertain with continuing delays in the release of the Defence Capability Plan.
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