AHC: Have the RNZAF maintain an air combat capability

I think the best answer was given earlier, which basically went to changing the security environment in the South Pacific. If not the USSR having a base closer to New Zealand, which could influence decisions up till the end of the Cold War, then it would likely have to be China.
 
Thats not correct. With no fighters an agressor only needs to overmatach the P3K and 2 frigates, so a modern SAM destroyer and a couple of frigates would be sufficient and there's pleny of countries that could do thst. However with only 24 F16s such a force would be mincemeat, the requirements to overmatch that becomes a carrier or forward basing of a robust and balanced air wing. The countries able to put such a force together, and the circumstances in which they would do so, because vanishingly small. A country crossing that threshold would provoke a collective security response. So that's what a fighter force does, raises the stakes for an agressor so high that NZ will never stand alone.
Yep, ninja'd.

If NZ traditional allies would NOT defend NZ over 'a modern SAM destroyer and a couple of frigates' that can travel to NZ, the defensive alliance joined by NZ is basically a waste of paper.

Moreover, there are some countries that are able to field a modern SAM destroyer and a couple of frigates, but that does not mean they can effectively project power to invade NZ. Sailing the ship to NZ peacefully and able to support such ships to fight after traveling a long distance are 2 different things.

Moreoever, there is no real military threats to NZ in the next decade.
 
The problem is that New Zealand is spoilt by having 2 Squadrons of F/A-18’s (plus an OCU) based about 2 flying hours away.

And even better, they don’t have to pay for them. In saying that, did the cost of the Australian based A4’s get paid for by NZ anyway?
 
If NZ traditional allies would NOT defend NZ over 'a modern SAM destroyer and a couple of frigates' that can travel to NZ, the defensive alliance joined by NZ is basically a waste of paper.

Moreover, there are some countries that are able to field a modern SAM destroyer and a couple of frigates, but that does not mean they can effectively project power to invade NZ. Sailing the ship to NZ peacefully and able to support such ships to fight after traveling a long distance are 2 different things.

Moreoever, there is no real military threats to NZ in the next decade.

What defensive alliances are these?

FDPA doesn't bind the signatories to defend each other. Nor does CDR (or so I remember).

I'm not convinced NZ has any current, explicit treaty arrangement where an ally has committed to our defence (and vice versa)
 
What defensive alliances are these?

FDPA doesn't bind the signatories to defend each other. Nor does CDR (or so I remember).

I'm not convinced NZ has any current, explicit treaty arrangement where an ally has committed to our defence (and vice versa)

The A-NZ part of ANZUS remains active, only the USA suspend its obligations to NZ unilaterally.
 
The problem is that New Zealand is spoilt by having 2 Squadrons of F/A-18’s (plus an OCU) based about 2 flying hours away.

And even better, they don’t have to pay for them. In saying that, did the cost of the Australian based A4’s get paid for by NZ anyway?
I'd be curious to know if the RAAF has any firm plans to fly fighters to New Zealand within a pre set time line measured in hours vs days ? I have my doubts that the RAAF has planes and crews on stand by to fly to New Zealand within 2 hours.

If anyone knows the real answer and can share it with us I'd be curious to hear it.
 
I'd be curious to know if the RAAF has any firm plans to fly fighters to New Zealand within a pre set time line measured in hours vs days ? I have my doubts that the RAAF has planes and crews on stand by to fly to New Zealand within 2 hours.

If anyone knows the real answer and can share it with us I'd be curious to hear it.

Apart from a 911 esque situation, there isn't any threats in the air against NZ that would give less than several days of advance warning.
 

Errolwi

Monthly Donor
Apart from a 911 esque situation, there isn't any threats in the air against NZ that would give less than several days of advance warning.

Quite. Also Alert 2 during a conference won't cut it, you need a standing patrol over the venue (check out the location of AKL and WLG, and how close the flightpaths get to the CBDs). And any shootdown between the nearest airport and Parliament/international conference venue is going to be over suburbia or city, with massive political cost.

Note the RAAF visits NZ fairly regularly for navex and general training, and occasionally a detachment of Hornets base at RNZAF Ohakea for a week of training (including mountain flying, because their closer neighbours with real mountains aren't as open to visits).
 
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Quite. Also Alert 2 during a conference won't cut it, you need a standing patrol over the venue (check out the location of AKL and WLG, and how close the flightpaths get to the CBDs). And any shootdown between the nearest airport and Parliament/international conference venue is going to be over suburbia or city, with massive political cost.

Note the RAAF visits NZ fairly regularly for navex and general training, and occasionally a detachment of Hornets base at RNZAF Ohakea for a week of training (including mountain flying, because their closer neighbours with real mountains aren't as open to visits).

The countries that possess long-range capacity to strike NZ are either friendly to NZ or unlikely to threaten NZ military without good reason. The traditional threat, Indonesia, is both less likely to do so these days and would be countered by Australia if any crazy scenario happen.
 
IMG_6671.JPG Looks like the RNZAF still have a strike capability, VTIC

http://www.airforce.mil.nz/about-us/news/media-releases/media-release.htm@guid={7ab27eae-a450-4f15-807a-3ec7ca4da64f}.htm
 
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>But it's also vulnerable to even light machine guns

What do you know about South Island dairy cow capacities that the rest of us don’t know?
 
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