Two New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) Orion aircraft will perform a final southern flyover tomorrow (31 Jan) before the retirement of the entire six aircraft fleet.

The NZDF is replacing its 1960's-era Lockheed P-3K2 Orions with modern Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircraft, which are expected to be operational by July (2023).

The Orion, operated by No. 5 Squadron, has been the mainstay of New Zealand's airborne surveillance and response force, including search and rescue, for almost sixty years.

A NZDF P-3k2 Orion. Photo: NZDF

The planes will fly south towards Invercargill before returning north towards Queenstown, the West Coast, Nelson and then landing at Base Woodbourne in Marlborough.

The timetable and exact route is highly dependent on the weather around the Southern Alps, especially for those towns and cities between Invercargill and Hokitika.

If the weather is poor, expect a delay of 15-20 minutes for those towns on the West Coast, and 30 minutes to an hour at Woodbourne (depending on turbulence).

The flight plan and approximate times are as follows:

Base Auckland - 1000

Christchurch - 1150-1200

Rakaia - 1308

Ashburton - 1312

Timaru - 1322

Wamate - 1328

Oamaru - 1334

Dunedin - 1349

Gore - 1407 (2.07pm)

Invercargill - 1415 (2.15pm)

Riverton - 1419 (2.19pm)

Nightcaps - 1426 (2.26pm)

Mossburn - 1431 (2.31pm)

Athol - 1436 (2.36pm)

Kingston - 1439

Queenstown - 1445

Cromwell - 1451

Wanaka - 1458

Hokitika - 1539

Greymouth - 1544

Westport - 1556

Murchison - 1606

Nelson - 1620

Havelock - 1626

Woodbourne - 1630

New Zealand's six P-3K2 Orions for airborne surveillance and reconnaissance of Aotearoa New Zealand’s areas of economic interest, exclusive economic zone, the South Pacific, and the Southern Ocean including Antarctica.

Over the past six decades crews have found hundreds of missing people drifting in vessels in the Pacific and have been the first to arrive at scenes where natural disasters have struck, both in Aotearoa New Zealand and in our neighbouring Pacific Islands.

They have also operated beyond our region in security and stability roles.