Defence mulls over whether to follow in Australia's footsteps for navy contracts
Photo:
Supplied/ NZ Defence Force
No decisions have been made on the make-up of the country's naval fleet, the Ministry of Defence says.
Australia has
picked Japan to build its next fleet of warships
in contracts
worth billions of dollars
.
New Zealand has a policy of buying equipment like Australia's, to stay "interoperable".
The ministry said it was investigating a range of options to replace the ageing fleet after 2029.
"No decisions have been made on the make-up of New Zealand's maritime fleet."
Business cases would have to be done.
"Key considerations when developing a business case include: what is the Australian approach, and is there any reason for New Zealand to take a different approach."
The defence capability plan has a focus on naval drones between now and 2029, and Budget 2025 puts upgrades to Devonport naval base and buying
$2 billion-plus of maritime helicopters
to the fore.
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