Australia sends two F-35 fighters to New Zealand

Two Royal Australian Air Force F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters landed at Ohakea in New Zealand on September 8, the first time the jets have visited the country, the New Zealand Defence Force said.

The aircraft, from the RAAF’s No. 3 Squadron, flew training missions through September 10 alongside New Zealand forces, including mock bombing runs coordinated by New Zealand soldiers on the ground in the Waiouru military training area and mock interceptions of a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. The jets departed for Australia the afternoon of September 10.

The visit is notable partly because New Zealand has had no fast jet combat aircraft of its own since 2001, when the government disbanded the air force’s Skyhawk fighter squadrons without replacement, citing cost. New Zealand’s air force has focused since then on maritime patrol, transport and helicopter operations rather than air combat, which means exercises like this one give New Zealand personnel rare direct experience working alongside a fighter jet.

Australia operates 72 F-35A aircraft, a fifth-generation stealth fighter capable of both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions. Sixteen other countries also fly the F-35 in one variant or another, giving allied air forces a shared platform they can integrate more easily during joint operations.

“So the amount of thrust we have during take off is still quite overwhelming, still quite a treat to put the power up and take off,” said Mark Biele, commanding officer of No. 3 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force.

“There are 16 other nations that fly these planes as well, when we collaborate and use those together, the roles can support our maritime efforts, our overland efforts like we saw here on the range to the north, and they can operate in an air policing role as well,” Biele said. “It’s our 110th year, and who would we want to spend that with but our best mates across the Tasman.”

“It’s about bringing the two nations together, working side-by-side in these training environments so if, for whatever reason, in the future if we need to do it for real, we know how to do that,” said Air Vice-Marshal Darryn Webb, Chief of the Royal Australian Air Force.

The jets spent their final day in New Zealand flying low-level navigation training over the west and central North Island before heading home. Neither country’s defense ministry has announced a date for a follow-up F-35 visit to New Zealand.