Royal New Zealand Air Force

Key facts

Official Name Royal New Zealand Air Force
Country🇳🇿 New Zealand
World rank#95
Active aircrafts42 as of 2025
Aircrafts on order6
Roundel

Roundel of New Zealand air force

Overview

The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) is structured to provide air power focused on maritime patrol, air mobility, and support to the New Zealand Defence Force's joint operations. It operates from two main bases, RNZAF Base Auckland and RNZAF Base Ohakea, under the Air Component Command. Having divested its air combat capability in 2001, the RNZAF's doctrine emphasizes interoperability with partners, particularly Australia, and contributions to regional stability. This doctrine guides its primary roles of air surveillance and reconnaissance, strategic and tactical airlift, and naval combat support.

The RNZAF's operational capabilities are centered on three core areas. Firstly, maritime surveillance of New Zealand's extensive Exclusive Economic Zone, the South Pacific, and the Southern Ocean. Secondly, strategic and tactical air mobility, providing transport for national and international deployments, humanitarian aid and disaster relief (HADR) missions, and support to Antarctica operations. Lastly, it provides rotary-wing support for both land and naval forces.

Recent RNZAF engagements reflect its doctrinal focus. The force participates in multinational exercises such as Talisman Sabre and conducts joint submarine-hunting training with Australian forces. P-8A Poseidon aircraft have been deployed to monitor United Nations sanctions against North Korea. The RNZAF is also consistently involved in HADR tasks in the Pacific and provides transport and support for scientific programmes in Antarctica.

The maritime patrol and reconnaissance capability has been reconstituted through the acquisition of four Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft, which replaced the P-3K2 Orion fleet, with the final aircraft delivered by July 2023. The tactical airlift fleet is also being renewed, with five Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super Hercules replacing the C-130H models; deliveries commenced in 2024 and are scheduled for completion by year-end, supported by a new flight simulator in 2025. To support pilot and air warfare officer training, the RNZAF leases four Beechcraft King Air 350 aircraft, which also undertake domestic maritime surveillance tasks, bringing specialist aircrew training back to New Zealand for the first time in two decades.

Origin countries of aircrafts

Country Active Aircraft
🇺🇸 United States 29
🇮🇹 Italy 13
🇩🇪 Germany 8
🇫🇷 France 8
🇳🇱 Netherlands 8
🇬🇧 United Kingdom 5

Evolution of New Zealand Air Force fleet

Aircrafts by type in 2025

Aircraft type Active
Helicopter Helicopter 21
Training Training 11
Transport Transport 8
Other Other 2

Full inventory in 2025

Royal New Zealand Air Force

Aircraft Type Model Origin Country Model Year Active 𝚫 YoY Ordered
HelicopterHelicopter NH90 (TTH) 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 🇮🇹 🇳🇱 2004 8
0
0
HelicopterHelicopter SH-2G 🇺🇸 1962 8
-1
0
HelicopterHelicopter AW109 🇬🇧 🇮🇹 1976 5
0
0
TransportTransport C-130J 🇺🇸 1956 3
+3
2
TransportTransport C-130H 🇺🇸 1956 3
-1
0
TransportTransport 757 🇺🇸 1983 2
0
0
TransportTransport 737 (P-8A) 🇺🇸 1968 0
-4
4
TrainingTraining T-6C 🇺🇸 2001 11
0
0
OtherOther King Air 350 🇺🇸 1964 2
0
0
Various public data, including Wikipedia, Flightglobal.com, SIPRI Arms Transfer and official government websites.