NZDF celebrates first Harpoon missile launch from P-8A Poseidon aircraft

The exercise was held in coordination with the Royal Australian Air Force and US Navy, alongside other aircraft, ships and submarines from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States. The live-fire exercise used weapons fired from the air, surface vessels and submarines to sink the ship.

“These activities are critical to the New Zealand Defence Force’s readiness to be able to meet the challenges of a deteriorating strategic environment, and we are incredibly grateful for the support of partners to assist us in regenerating the ability to rapidly strike targets at distance,” Air Component Commander Air Commodore Andy Scott said.

“This exercise marked a significant step forward for the RNZAF with the first successful launch of air-to-surface missiles by our P-8A.”

The P-8A Poseidon can be armed with Harpoon anti-ship guided missiles, used to strike ships accurately from at least 100 kilometres away. The successful firing of the missiles, supplied by the Australian Defence Force, demonstrates the fleet’s utility as a strike capability against surface targets.

“But part of military readiness is having the ability to do so if called upon and this is not something you can generate overnight,” Air Commodore Scott said.

“This firing has been the culmination of a lot of work across multiple parts of Defence and we would not have been able to rebuild so quickly without the support of our Australian and US partners.”

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The coordinated missile firings between one RNZAF and two United States Navy Poseidons highlighted the ability to work seamlessly with a partner, according to Poseidon Captain Squadron Leader Michael Craies.

“As we felt the weapons fall from the airframe and watched the Harpoon missiles strike their target, we knew it was the work of so many people across the RNZAF and our partners that made it possible.”

“The first successful Harpoon firing from our P-8A is a testament to our armament, maintenance and logistics personnel.”

“When the time came for our firing, the professionalism of all three P-8A crews involved meant that we were able to rapidly acquire the target and fire four Harpoons in total.”

This is the first time an RNZAF Poseidon has taken part in Valiant Shield, which started in 2006 and is in its 11th iteration this year.

During the anti-submarine warfare phase of the exercise, the RNZAF Poseidon operated as part of a taskforce to find, track and conduct simulated MK54 torpedo attacks against multiple submarines.

The task force included a RAAF Poseidon, US Navy Poseidons, the Canadian frigate HMCS Charlottetown, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s JS Kaga and JS Fuyuzuki, and the United States’ George Washington Carrier Strike Group.

“This SINKEX provided an outstanding opportunity for our joint team to integrate capabilities across domains, honing the lethal precision and coordination essential for high-end maritime operations in the Pacific theatre,” said Rear Admiral Eric Anduze, commander of Carrier Strike Group 5 and Task Force 70.

Robert Dougherty

Robert is a senior journalist who has previously worked for Seven West Media in Western Australia, as well as Fairfax Media and Australian Community Media in New South Wales. He has produced national headlines, photography and videography of emergency services, business, community, defence and government news across Australia. Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Public Relations and Journalism at Curtin University, attended student exchange program with Fudan University and holds Tier 1 General Advice certification for Kaplan Professional. Reach out via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via LinkedIn.