By Lucy Craymer
WELLINGTON, Sept 9 (Reuters) – Two Australian F-35A stealth fighter jets are in New Zealand for joint exercises with the New Zealand Army and Air Force, underscoring deepening defence ties between the neighbours as they move towards sharing personnel and maintenance roles.
The two militaries have undertaken several joint exercises this year and Air Vice-Marshal Darryn Webb, chief of the New Zealand Air Force, said in an interview the allies were moving beyond traditional “inter-operability” — the ability to communicate and operate together — towards greater integration and interchangeability.
He said the two counties have written “some documents” on how the two militaries can work closer together and had aimed to have an Australian pilot a New Zealand P-8A Poseidon aircraft at a recent joint exercise. That did not happen, but Webb said it is on the agenda for a future exercises.
“We recognise each other’s, what we call, worthiness systems… we share the same culture” Webb said, raising the prospect of not only Australian pilots and crew operating New Zealand aircraft but technicians from either country maintaining the other’s planes.
The closer arrangement could help address personnel shortages during deployments. For example, Australian technicians could support a New Zealand aircraft at an Australian base if specialist staff were unavailable, while Australian crew could fill gaps in a New Zealand contingent.
An Australia Defence spokesperson added in a statement that operating P-8A Poseidon aircraft with common mission systems and communications networks, would mean the two countries air forces can rapidly integrate air and maintenance crews.
This would strengthen the “collective ability to conduct shared maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, and humanitarian assistance operations throughout the region,” the spokesperson said.
The Australian stealth fighter jets are simulating attacks and interceptions with New Zealand’s Poseidon aircraft in exercises that include the Australian air force establishing an overseas Forward Arming and Refuelling Point for the first time outside of New Zealand.
(Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Neil Fullick)
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