https://ift.tt/zKl8JNh Maritime history in New Zealand January 15, 2026 at 12:08PM
RNZAF Black Falcons aerobatic team begin display flying season
https://ift.tt/1W0bAsw After months of training the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s (RNZAF) Black Falcons aerobatic team will kick off its display season this week above RNZAF Base Woodbourne in Marlborough.
12 January, 2026
The first display will be for the start of the Air Training Corps National Aviation Course, on Wednesday.
The season will then incorporate flights at events such as Whanganui’s Vintage weekend, the Coast-to-Coast race finish at Christchurch, the Marlborough Wine and Food Festival, and many others around the country.
It will conclude with a display at the Warbirds over Wanaka International Airshow in April.
For three of the pilots, Lieutenant Commander Stephen Knowles from Wellington, Squadron Leader Matt Stapp, from Timaru/Christchurch, and Squadron Leader Richard O’Flaherty from Upper Hutt, this will be their first season of flying with the aerobatic team.
Lieutenant Commander Knowles is the first pilot from the Royal New Zealand Navy to be part of the Black Falcons.
The other members are team leader Squadron Leader Paul Stockley from Lower Hutt, Squadron Leader Paul Harrison from Yorkshire, England (now living in the Manawatū), Flight Lieutenant James Erskine from Christchurch, team manager Warrant Officer Darren Smith, from Gore, and Flying Officer Matt Biggar, the team support officer.
The team recently gained the official approval needed to kick off its display season.
“This was a huge achievement by the team, who can now crack into display flying at numerous events across the country,” said Squadron Leader Stapp, who is the Officer Commanding Central Flying School, as well as being one of the team this year.
As a high point in their intensive flying careers, RNZAF Qualified Flying Instructors are eligible to become display pilots – work they undertake on top of their fulltime RNZAF roles at Central Flying School and No. 14 Squadron, based at RNZAF Base Ohakea.
Squadron Leader Stapp said the Black Falcons display routines aim to “inspire and educate” and demonstrate “professionalism rather than stardom”.
“Because of the RNZAF’s size and resources, display flying will never be the primary role for any of our pilots, so our approach is simple but professional, rather than complex,” he said.
The Black Falcons team was formed in 2015 when the RNZAF took delivery of the new Texan II T-6C trainer aircraft, with the five-aircraft aerobatic team created shortly after that.
The team was created to engage with the public and showcase the New Zealand Defence Force and its personnel.
https://ift.tt/HmD7aGJ RNZAF January 14, 2026 at 01:26PM
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Babcock Trials Composites for Faster Navy Repairs – Modernizing Fleet Maintenance in Australia and New Zealand
Babcock Australasia has successfully trialed a new composite repair technology on ships from the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN), cutting maintenance times from months to days.
The Fiber Reinforced Polymer method offers a permanent alternative to steel, allowing repairs without hot works and curing even underwater. The technology was tested on HMNZS Aotearoa, HMNZS Te Mana, and HMAS Ballarat, addressing corrosion, deck renewals, and floor remediation.
On the Aotearoa, repairs were completed in just eight days, compared with four to six months using conventional methods, and received Lloyd’s class approval within 24 hours.
Babcock partnered with FUZE, a composite solutions provider with experience in mining and offshore sectors, to deliver both scheduled and emergency maintenance.
Modernizing Fleet Maintenance in Australia and New Zealand
The trials build on ongoing efforts by the RAN and RNZN to modernize fleet maintenance and repair capabilities.
The RAN has steadily advanced its fleet sustainment capabilities through initiatives like Plan Galileo and the Regional Maintenance Centre Network. A $2-billion navy maintenance contract announced in November 2023 also sought to consolidate maintenance operations across major RAN vessels.
Meanwhile, the RNZN has invested in lightweight repair materials and rapid-response teams to enhance at-sea maintenance.
The Frigate Sustainment Communications project, initiated in 2021, continues to modernize HMNZS Te Kaha and Te Mana, upgrading communications systems to maintain operational readiness and interoperability into the 2030s.
https://ift.tt/S0bqDAj RNZN – Other bits and Pieces January 11, 2026 at 12:23PM
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Fleet Officer of the Watch Manoeuvres in the Hauraki Gulf,
Navy, Devonport, Fleet, Ship, Aerial, IPV, OPV, Inshore patrol Vessel, Offshore patrol vessel: Fleet Officer of the Watch Manoeuvres in the Hauraki Gulf, including HMNZS Otago, HMNZS Wellington, HMNZS Pukaki, HMNZS Rotoiti, HMNZS Hawea, HMNZS Taupo and HMNZS Manawanui.
https://ift.tt/KbVz5Lo Exercises involving RNZN January 10, 2026 at 12:28PM
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HMNZS Charles Upham (A02)
HMNZS Charles Upham (A02) was a Mercandian 2-in-1 class roll-on/roll-off vessel operated by the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) between 1994 and 2001. The vessel was built for the Danish shipping company Mercandia during the early 1980s, and operated under the names Mercandian Queen II and Continental Queen II. The New Zealand Defence Force had identified the need for a logistic support ship as early as the 1970s but it was not until the 1991 white paper that planning to acquire a ship commenced in earnest. Mercandian Queen II was for sale around that time, and although not as capable as the RNZN had initially specified, was purchased in 1994.
The ship arrived in New Zealand in 1995 under the name Sealift, and was commissioned later that year as HMNZS Charles Upham, after the only combat soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross twice, Captain Charles Upham. After some modification, the ship made two voyages to test her capabilities and determine what further work was required to make her fully operational. Significant problems with stability and seakeeping were encountered during the second voyage, and the ship was removed from service on her return. The cost of fixing the stability problems and fitting Charles Upham out for troop and vehicle transport was prohibitive, and the work was postponed. In the meantime, the ship was chartered to Spanish company Contenemar SA in 1998 and used to transport citrus fruit around the Mediterranean.
By 2001, the New Zealand government had decided that Charles Upham was unusable and should be sold. The ship was sold to Contenemar (who operated her under the name Don Carlos, then Don Carlos II), then converted into a vehicle carrier and onsold in 2009 to Indonesian company PT Pelayaran Putra Sejati (operating as Nusantara Sejati). In the meantime, the RNZN sought to acquire a new logistic vessel, with HMNZS Canterbury entering service in 2007.
https://ift.tt/gQSsv5O Charles Upham (A02) January 10, 2026 at 11:01AM
