Darryn Webb: Air Force Chief on the $2.7 billion investment in the defence forces

A $2.7 billion defence spend could help to boost recruitment to the forces. 

The Government's investing in new aircrafts, including two new Airbus A321 planes, in a lease-to-buy plan. 

Five Seahawk helicopters are also being bought. 

Air Force Chief Darryn Webb told Mike Hosking this will be appealing to potential new recruits. 

He says morale lifts when they have new equipment, and they're always able to get the most out them. 

Webb says the investment will benefit the forces well into the future – saying we always get more out of our assets compared to most countries, and predicts the aircraft will have around a 30-year service life. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's a big day for defense, of course, is the

(00:01):
heavyweight money is laid out for new planes and choppers.
The big bill for the five Seahawks complete with the
anti sub torpedoes. They come in at two point seven billion.
That then we got the two long range ybus A
three twenty one's herebyas Marshall Darren Webby's the boss of
the Royal New Zealand Air Force news with us. Good morning,
Good morning do you Mike, as far as you're concerned,
is this Christmas or something close to it?

Speaker 2 (00:20):
While at the great Day for Defense, and we're extremely
excited with the announcements of the new aircraft types for
both the Air Force and the Navy, that's for sure.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
How different will life be with this new equipment.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Well, having the right tools to do your job safely
and effectively is hugely important for our people and so
it's going to be a big game changer for us.

Speaker 1 (00:40):
Do you specifically get involved in what was needed and
how many of them and what they cost and where
we buy them from or not.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
It's a complex business and that's certainly left to the
capability acquisition teams. I'm a capability owner, so once I've
gone through all those decisions. I'm the lucky recipient of
that capability and get it to use it in service.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
You would argue you'd need more of everything though, basically,
wouldn't you? In general?

Speaker 2 (01:04):
Well, I think five new chopters is a really good
place to start, and the team up at six Squadron
and finelp I are really excited to get their hands
on them as soon as they can. And of course
the new A through twenty on XLA will be a
really nice change up from the seven five seven.

Speaker 1 (01:18):
So these planes and choppers, if you're driving the bring
it back to domestic stuff. If you're driving a Yarus,
a Toyota Yaris, what if you trade it up to.

Speaker 2 (01:28):
Well, the Seahawk is a state of the combat capable machine.
It has advanced systems on bed, advanced eyes and ears
if you like to detect, to then target, track and
if necessary, prosecute targets both on the surface and also subsurface.
And so in what is an increasingly complex world out there,
that is the tool to do the job right.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
And what about the A three twenty ones.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Yeah, the A three twenty one. This is a commercial
off the shelf solution for us. We're trying to keep
it as straightforward and as simple as we possibly can.
It is. It is the longest range single aisle twenty
aircraft in the market, and so for a country like
New Zealand which is a long way from anywhere, yea,
that's a real value to us. For example, it can
get us down to Antarctica with no point of safe return,

(02:15):
and having flown there many times myself. The comfort that
comes with that for the Krean for the passengers is
going to be really important.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
And these are good for how long? The planes and
chop is are good for how long?

Speaker 2 (02:24):
Ten?

Speaker 1 (02:24):
Twenty thirty?

Speaker 2 (02:26):
Listen, we always get more out of our assets than most,
but I think a good number to start with will
be something like thirty year our service life.

Speaker 1 (02:33):
Wow does this help recruitment? If I thought of joining
the Air Force, seeing one of those choppers surely makes
it more appealing to me.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
Yeah, I think it does. I think you can censor
it's palpable. Morale lifts when we have new equipment and
our people are experts at getting the most out of them.

Speaker 1 (02:49):
Good stuff. Darren, appreciate it. Darren Webb, who's the Airbust
Marshal of the Royal newsand Air Force. For more from
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