Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Fawcett for the question and for his ongoing interest in matters aviation more broadly. The P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft reached its initial operating capability in March of this year, which was five months ahead of schedule. It has already been used in a range of operations and exercises in Australia and, indeed, around the Indo-Pacific, proving to be a very versatile, highly capable aircraft. For example, we deployed the P-8A Poseidon to Japan in April of this year to support the enforcement of the UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea with our international partners. The Poseidon was very successfully deployed to operate at long range and high speeds and to conduct its maritime surveillance functions with state-of-the-art equipment, contributing to that international effort to enforce sanctions.

We also deployed the aircraft as part of our longstanding Operation Gateway maritime surveillance patrols. We've supported border protection operations and we've contributed to maritime search-and-rescue missions. Indeed, two weeks ago, at RIMPAC in Hawaii, which I know a number of senators, including Senator Fawcett, attended, an Australian Poseidon successfully fired a Harpoon missile for the first time, demonstrating that the Poseidon is also a highly capable maritime strike aircraft, capable of defending our maritime approaches.

I want to acknowledge the decision of our neighbours in the New Zealand government, who have announced that they will also acquire four Poseidon aircraft. That is going to further significantly strengthen our interoperability with the New Zealand air force and the New Zealand Defence Force and our ability to jointly respond to regional challenges. The Poseidon is already proving itself as a highly capable replacement to the venerable P-3. Importantly, it is already making a significant contribution to regional security.