CABINET APPROVES ORION PURCHASE

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30528, 25 August 1964, Page 3

CABINET APPROVES ORION PURCHASE

(From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, August 24. The purchase of five Lockheed P 3 Orion aircraft for the Royal New Zealand Air Force, with spares and support equipment, at a total cost of about £8.68 million, was approved today by Cabinet.

Announcing the decision, the Minister of Defence (Mr Eyre) said the Government had now completed its authorisation of equipment in terms of the five-year programme for the armed forces announced 15 months ago.

The new aircraft will replace the Sunderlands which have operated in the maritime role, both from Fiji and New Zealand, since the war-time Catalinas were withdrawn from service. The R.N.Z.A.F. purchased 16 reconditioned Sunderlands from the R.A.F. 15 years ago.

Pending delivery of the i Orions in 1966 the R.N.Z.A.F. 1 would continue to operate ' Sunderlands, said Mr Eyre. ■ The principal flying-boat i base was at Lauthala Bay, . Fiji, and it was logical this I station should be closed once . the land-based Orions went into service, he said. Accord-

ingly the Cabinet had approved the progressive rundown of Lauthala Bay which had existed for almost 25 years. The Government would consult fully with the Fijian Government on all the implications of this decision, including the question of disposing of the land and buildings at Lauthala Bay. The Government recognised that appropriate provision should be made for locallyengaged staff who had served the R:N.Z.A.F. for many years, said Mr Eyre. Between now and 1967, when the Orions would become operational, the station character would disappear and the base would become in fact a “detached flight” of R.N.Z.A.F. station, Hobsonville. Two Sunderlands would be maintained in Fiji, until 1967, returning periodically to New Zealand for servicing. Air Vice Marshal I. E. Morrison, Chief of Air Staff, said the Orions to be purchased would have a cruising speed of over 400 miles an hour, the widest possible range of weapons, and the most advanced communications, navigation and detection equipment. “The replacement of our Sunderlands with Orions, together with our re-equipment with Hercules transports, marks an important advance for the R.N.Z.A.F.,” he said. “It increases our capability and effectiveness very considerably both in home defence and in any contribution New Zealand may have to make' in another theatre, of operations.”