New Zealand axes three Seasprite helicopters

New Zealand has cut its fleet of eight in-service Kaman SH-2G(I)s Super Seasprites by three helicopters to provide spares for the remaining five aircraft. (New Zealand Defence Force)

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has downsized the number of in-service Kaman SH-2G(I) Super Seasprite maritime helicopters from eight to five.

An NZDF spokesperson told Janes on 15 July that the downsizing of the fleet was initiated in mid-2023. “The fleet was reduced from eight aircraft to five in mid-2023,” the spokesperson said, adding that shrinking the force to five helicopters is “designed to provide three aircraft for operational use at any one time”.

Challenges associated with sustaining the helicopters and the platform's low operational availability have prompted the downsizing, Janes assesses.

In February 2024 NZDF officials told the New Zealand government's Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee that the “Seasprite has a number of systems that are becoming either difficult to sustain or are obsolete due to the age of the aircraft and a lack of maintenance, repair, and overhaul capabilities worldwide”, according to parliamentary documents.

The platform's problems contributed to an over 10% performance decrease of the naval helicopter capability, the document stated.

The NZDF said at the time it recognised that a “number of modifications” to the helicopter were required to “improve supportability”. The NZDF also sought to ‘design, develop, and implement solutions' to improve the type's sustainability using existing NZDF resources and industry partnerships.

Janes understands that a working group has been established to cover logistics, technical, and aircrew specialisations associated with the helicopter. The group will “manage and ensure future sustainment of the Seasprite fleet”, the NZDF spokesperson said.