Government says country will buy five Seahawk helicopters and two Airbus A321XLR aircraft
New Zealand will spend nearly NZ$3bn ($1.7bn) upgrading its ageing defence fleet, including replacing its “embarrassing” planes that have left multiple prime ministers grounded during international travel, the government has announced.
The defence minister, Judith Collins, said NZ$2bn would be spent buying five MH-60R Seahawk helicopters and another NZ$700m to buy two Airbus A321XLR aircraft.
“These are once-in-a-generation investments which are a vital down payment on our future security and our prosperity in a world where tensions are rising and distance no longer provides New Zealand the protection it once did,” Collins told a press conference on Thursday afternoon.
In April, New Zealand pledged to boost its defence spending by NZ$9bn over the next four years, and aims to nearly double spending to 2% as a share of GDP in the next eight years as part of its defence capability plan.
