WELLINGTON, Recent Zealand — Recent Zealand’s military issued a request for information on April 24 for naval helicopters and aerial drones to exchange the eight Kaman SH-2G(I) Seasprites operated by the Royal Recent Zealand Navy.
The Defence Force’s 2019 annual report said the country will replace its maritime helicopter fleet by 2027 as a way to prevent “a capability gap arising from the top of service lifetime of the Seasprite fleet.”
In November 2021, an “opportunities workshop” for the Maritime Helicopter Substitute Project mentioned a planned withdrawal of the SH-2G(I) Seasprite helicopter in 2028.
The newly released RFI mentions deliveries to the Navy from mid-2027.
In accordance with the military’s 2019 Defence Capability Plan, the substitute program would cost greater than NZ$1 billion (U.S. $616 million).
The tender closes June 21, 2023, and doesn’t provide further information on the uncrewed aerial systems sought by the military.
The Seasprite is capable of operate from the Navy’s two frigates, the sealift ship Canterbury, the tanker Aotearoa and the 2 offshore patrol vessels. The helicopter’s weapons include Penguin anti-ship missiles and MK 46 torpedoes.
The 53-foot-long aircraft has a maximum takeoff weight of 14,200 kilos. Potential substitute options are larger and heavier.
The Navy used Westland Wasp helicopters for greater than 30 years until replacing that fleet with 4 SH-2F Seasprites in 1997. Five SH-2G Seasprites entered service in 2001, and the SH-2G(I) versions have flown with the force since 2015.
Nick Lee-Frampton is the Recent Zealand correspondent for Defense News.