P-3 Systems Upgrade

Client: Royal New Zealand Air Force

Description

The mission systems and the communication and navigation systems on the six P-3K Orion aircraft operated by the Royal New Zealand Air Force are to be upgraded. The scope of this project includes the replacement of the data management, sensor, communications and navigation systems, and the provision of associated ground systems.

Government approval

In September 2004 the Government approved a project budget of NZ$352 million excluding GST.

Contract

A contract was signed in October 2004 with L-3 Communications Integrated Systems of the United States as the prime contractor for the project.

L-3/IS has engaged New Zealand companies:

Safe Air Ltd to undertake the modification to aircraft 2-6 at their facility in Blenheim; and
Beca Applied Technologies as sub-contractors to assist with software development.

Current status

Early installation of the electro-optics system on three aircraft was completed in October 2005.

Work on full modification of the first aircraft at L-3’s facility in Texas has been substantially completed. Delivery of the first aircraft is scheduled for the first half of 2011. Flight testing continues.

The first production aircraft (aircraft number 2 of 6) was inducted into Safe Air for modifications on 27 August 2009 and good progress is being made on the modification work.

The second aircraft will be delivered to the RNZAF for Operational Tests and Evaluation after the flight testing of the prototype is completed.

The sixth aircraft is scheduled for completion in mid 2012.

For further information see the Royal New Zealand Air Force web site (www.airforce.mil.nz) or contact:

Acquisition Division
Ministry of Defence
PO Box 12703
Molesworth Street
Wellington 6144
New Zealand

Phone: +64 4 496 0678
Fax: +64 4 496 0859
Email: info@defence.govt.nz