Page 14 - Australian Defence Magazine May 2022

14 NEWS REVIEW
INDUSTRY UPDATE
MAY 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
CONSTRUCTION STARTS ON NZ’S FIRST P-8A
LEFT: Four P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft will eventually replace New Zealand’s ageing P-3K2 Orion aircraft.
gether was contagious,” said Brian Stuart, P-8 program manager for New Zealand. “Not only are we kicking off the journey to the first New Zealand P-8A delivery, but we are strengthening our relationships with sup- pliers like Spirit as well as our US Navy and Royal New Zealand Air Force customers.”
The panel and other fuselage components will be completed on Spirit’s existing 737 production line. Spirit will ship the P-8A fu- selage to a Boeing Commercial Airplanes fa- cility in Renton, Washington for final assem- bly. After that, Boeing employees will install mission systems and complete testing prior to delivery to New Zealand later this year.
In total, four Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft will eventually replace New Zealand’s current fleet of four ageing P-3K2 Orion aircraft.
The New Zealand Defence Force is a P-8 foreign military sales customer and is one of eight global customers. Current P-8 operators include the US Navy, the RAAF, the Indian Navy, United King- dom’s Royal Air Force and the Royal Nor- wegian Air Force.
BOEING P-8A team members and Spirit AeroSystems employees have laid the keel beam for New Zealand’s first P-8A.
This process, also called ‘keeling’, was done at the Spirit AeroSystems facility where all Boeing 737 fuselages, nacelles and pylons are built. Laying the keel is an important production milestone during the build of any ship or aircraft.
Rosemary Banks, New Zealand’s ambas- sador to the US, who was on hand to wit- ness the keeling said: “The keeling ceremo- ny is the beginning of a new era for New Zealand’s maritime patrol and response ca-
pability. Our four P-8A Poseidons will bet- ter equip our defence forces to extend their reach into the Pacific and beyond, working with our partners and friends.”
An aircraft keel beam runs the length of the fuselage belly. Due to the innova- tive in-line approach to the build of com- mercial derivative aircraft pioneered on the P-8A, the keel beam on a P-8 is dif- ferent from the typical 737 structure. The P-8 keel includes unique aspects of the P-8 configuration, such as the integration of an internal weapons bay.
“The excitement of seeing this come to-
UPGRADE ANNOUNCED FOR RAAF CURTIN
THE government says it is planning to invest $244 million in a major upgrade of a RAAF airbase near Derby in Western Australia.
RAAF Base Curtin forms a key part of the ADF’s network of northern airbases and plays a vital role in supporting the training and operations of the ADF in WA’s north-west and the Indian Ocean.
The airbase will undergo a major refur- bishment and replacement of its facilities and infrastructure, including upgrades to communications, water and electrical ser- vices, roads, working accommodation, work- shops, aircraft hangars, storage areas and security infrastructure.
The project is currently in the develop- ment phase and, subject to government and parliamentary approval, construction is expected to start in late 2024 and be finished in mid-2026.
Minister for Defence Industry and Member for Durack Melissa Price said the Government’s planned investment will be a major boost for the local community.
RIGHT: Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price, former Deputy Secretary Estate and Infrastructure Steve Grzeskowiak, and Air Commander Australia, Air Vice-Marshal Joe Iervasi, meet with Commanding Officer 13SQN, Wing Commander Andrew Anthony, at RAAF Base Curtin.
“This is fantastic news for small and medium businesses in and around Derby,” Minister Price said. “Those local business- es will have the opportunity to contribute to what is going to be a very significant re- development of RAAF Base Curtin.”
WSP Australia has been engaged as De- fence’s Project Manager and Contract Ad- ministrator for the development phase of the project.
“This investment speaks volumes about the importance the government places on
RAAF Base Curtin to the defence of our nation,” Minister Price said. “When I visit- ed the base last year I got a fantastic insight into the vital role it plays but also a great understanding of the complexities of run- ning an air base in a location like Derby.”
Defence released a Request for Tender in February 2022 to engage a Managing Contrac- tor, which will be responsible for managing the project design and overseeing subcontractors for its delivery. The Managing Contractor is ex- pected to be engaged by Defence in June 2022.
DEFENCE
BOEING