The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110) stands by as the lifeguard station for the replenishment-at-sea (RAS) conducted by the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104), left, and the Royal New Zealand Navy auxiliary oiler replenishment ship HMNZS Aotearoa (A 11) during the Force Integration phase of Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024, July 13. Twenty-nine nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, more than 150 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC in and around the Hawaiian Islands, June 27 to Aug. 1. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2024 is the 29th exercise in the series that begin in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Bayley Foster)
Sailors aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104) heave a line during a replenishment-at-sea with Royal New Zealand Navy auxiliary oiler replenishment ship HMNZS Aotearoa (A 11) during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024 in the Pacific Ocean, July 13. Twenty-nine nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, more than 150 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC in and around the Hawaiian Islands, June 27 to Aug. 1. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2024 is the 29th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class R. Ezekiel Duran)
Te Mihinga Rose Brock was used to being a bit of a role model in the Army Reserves.
10 July, 2024
She stood out as a wahine trained in a combat trade role, and thrived while showcasing the New Zealand Defence Force over a series of recruitment webinars.
Now, Sub Lieutenant Brock, whose family comes from the Far North’s Utakura Valley in Hokianga, wants to develop her own path as a Royal New Zealand Navy warfare officer.
“Joining the Army and then the Navy have been the greatest experiences of my life,” she says.
After finishing at Carmel College in 2019, she enrolled at the University of Auckland, undertaking a degree in criminology and history. She joined the Army Reserve Force at the end of that year.
“A family friend of mine sold the dream to me,” she said.
“I always wanted to join the military, but I wanted to study at uni first. When I heard about the Army Reserves, I jumped at the chance to join.”
“I went to Waiouru to train as a gunner, then later joined the infantry. All my friends from the recruit course went that way, and the training exercises they (infantry) did seemed much more up my alley; on the range for shooting development, urban warfare drills, and so on.”
During the Covid-19 pandemic she undertook rotations at Managed Isolation and Quarantine Facilities while juggling full time study. She says it was a cool experience to meet and work with people from different units and services.
After university she got a full-time job at a recruiting firm, which suitably prepared her for her next posting.
“My Regimental Sergeant Major asked a few of us to recruit for our battalion, as our numbers were down. I started recruiting for 3/6 Battalion, then Army Reserves, then I got a short term Regular Force Engagement contract and ended up going to places and being a bit of a ‘poster girl’ for wāhine in a combat trade.”
The role expanded to Sub Lieutenant Brock organising and hosting nationwide recruiting webinars and other events to encourage youth and wāhine.
“We’d get Army reservists from different trades to tell their stories, how they can balance being in the Army and being a cop, a lawyer, a nurse, or a parent.
“It was daunting at first, but very rewarding, and ended up being quite a successful endeavour. We’d have information evenings, where people would kōrero with us and ask questions.”
As a private in the Army Reserves, Sub Lieutenant Brock wanted more responsibility, and looked at commissioning as an officer.
“You know, it’s a funny story. Early on I hadn’t considered Navy, because I was terrified of the idea of being on a sinking ship. The Army was more about being rough and a bit dirty.
“My dad is a pilot and I liked the idea of aviation. So I never imagined myself being in either the Army or Navy, but I’m so glad I did!”
When considering the shift to Navy, she liked the multi-tasking roles taken up by Navy officers.
“There’s that balance of combat training but being very involved on a ship’s bridge, having that position of authority. Someone suggested being a warfare officer, and I could always pursue a career as a pilot at a later stage.”
Sub Lieutenant Brock graduated from Junior Officer Common Training at Devonport Naval Base in December.
As an officer, she likes the idea of building a rapport with her team, and being approachable if they need help or need to speak up.
“If I was able to give advice to my younger self, I would say – as clichéd as it sounds – that there’s no such thing as a closed door.”
“Take every opportunity as it comes and if you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way to overcome the challenges you face. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Merv Tyree, then a vice-president of the South Canterbury RSA, views trees outside the branch’s former Timaru premises in 2017. The trees were subsequently cut down, which Tyree opposed, and the property sold, which he also opposed. ESTHER ASHBY-COVENTRY / The Timaru Herald
OBITUARY: One of a small group who restored a World War II artillery gun, fired in recent years for Anzac Day and other ceremonies, has died recently in Timaru.
Mervyn Tyree, known as Merv, was 85.
In 2018, Tyree together with John Smallridge, both former Royal New Zealand navalmen, and Terry Farrell, an ex-artilleryman who served with New Zealand forces in the Vietnam War, embarked on a project to restore a 1941 QF 25-pounder howitzer.
From 1967 the gun had been displayed outside the Beverley War Veterans’ Home in Timaru.
When the property was bought by the South Canterbury RSA, with the home demolished and new clubrooms built in 1975, the gun was retained and displayed at the entrance on Wai-iti Rd.
By 2018 the gun was in need of some “tender loving care”.
The group that restored the howitzer in 2018. From left are Merv Tyree, John Smallridge and Terry Farrell. Doug Field / The Timaru Herald
Tyree, Smallridge and Farrell, all then members of the SCRSA, spent six months stripping, cleaning and restoring the gun.
“Merv was a key part of the process,” Farrell said.
“He had been a leading mechanical engineer in the navy and was very clever.
“He was able to put things together.”
Later in the year, after many years silent, the gun exploded into life again at the Aorangi range to commemorate New Zealand and Australian Vietnam Veterans’ Day and the Battle of Van Tuong.
“Merv and our group gave the SCRSA and the community, something to be proud of,” Farrell said.
Tyree grew up on a farm near Pleasant Point and joined the Royal New Zealand Navy in 1956, serving for nine years as a diver as well as a mechanical engineer.
“He went to Antarctica on the Endeavour as part of an Edmund Hillary mission with [tractor manufacturer] Massey Ferguson,” his son Ken Tyree said.
This was the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition in which Hillary used the tractors to make his famous “dash” to the South Pole.
In 2016, Merv Tyree described the HMNZS Endeavour as “a wooden ship with iron men”.
From his time at Antarctica, Tyree brought back a jar of salt he found in 1959 outside Ernest Shackleton’s McMurdo Sound hut, which the famous British explorer had used between 1907-08.
“He kept the salt for more than 50 years, then gave it to the navy; now it’s kept on the bridge of the Aotearoa,” Ken Tyree said.
Merv Tyree handed the salt over when the HMNZS Aotearoa was launched at Devonport in 2020.
He served on navy ships to Malaya, during what was called the “Malayan Confrontation”, as well as to Korea, Singapore and the United States.
Merv Tyree with the jar of salt he found outside Ernest Shackleton’s hut in McMurdo Sound and which he gifted to the Royal NZ Navy. Bejon Haswell / The Timaru Herald
On leaving the navy, Tyree worked in a range of jobs. He was a taxi driver, a concrete truck driver, and a self-employed welder; he made gear for Ken Tyree’s opal mining in Australia, and while in Australia managed a 6500-acre bloodstock farm in New South Wales.
“He came back from Australia in the late 1990s and bought a kiwifruit orchard in Waihi and increased the productivity 30%; he was a bit of a perfectionist,” his son said.
Merv Tyree then worked as a lift builder.
In 2013, he returned to South Canterbury and Timaru in style, driving a 13-tonne custom-built motor home that was fitted out with state-of-the-art equipment and named Endeavour after the vessel on which he had served.
Travelling in style: Merv Tyree inside his “ship on wheels” motor home in 2013. John Bisset / The Timaru Herald
New Zealand has a fleet of eight SH-2G(I) Super Seasprite helicopters, though three have been placed in long-term storage. (Credit: Gordon Arthur)
Naval helicopters line up to replace New Zealand’s Super Seasprites
The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) relies upon a fleet of eight Kaman SH-2G(I) Super Seasprite helicopters to support its activities, but these aircraft are ageing and becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. Eyeing their eventual replacement in mid-2027, NZ’s Ministry of Defence issued a request for information (RfI) for its Maritime Helicopter Replacement project on 24 April 2023, with responses returning in July that year. Three main contenders have emerged for this naval helicopter requirement: Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo and Sikorsky.
The RfI sought information on five aspects: the naval helicopters themselves, accompanying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), through-life support, associated training systems, and mission support system integration. The helicopters are expected to have a 25-year lifespan, while the UAVs will last just seven years.
A formal tender is awaited, perhaps later this year, and Naval News spoke to three companies jostling for contention.
Discussing each in alphabetical order, Airbus Helicopters confirmed its interest in the Kiwi project and that it is pitching the NH90 NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH) variant. The NFH currently serves in six nations, with 127 aircraft delivered.
“NHI is able to offer either a state-of-the-art, off-the-shelf configuration or a customised configuration, as required. It shares about 60% of the parts with its Troop Transport Helicopter (TTH) version that is already in service with the RNZAF.” Axel Aloccio, President of NHIndustries and Head of NH90 Programme at Airbus
Indeed, the RNZAF has been successfully operating eight NH90 TTHs since 2015. Aloccio therefore pointed out, “The existing operational experience with the RNZAF ensures a proven track record of reliability, with fleet availability frequently above 70%, and performance in New Zealand’s unique environmental conditions. The familiarity of the NZDF with NH90 TTH systems and operational requirements can reduce training times and minimise integration costs.”
The NHIndustries executive added, “Our NH90 NFH offering to NZ will complement and build on the NZDF’s existing fleet and in-country capabilities, provides optimum performance desired by the military, and the best value-for-money proposition.” Furthermore, Airbus has a solid footprint in the country and has plentiful experience supporting the current NH90 fleet. “We remain fully committed to ensuring long-term support to the NZDF,” explained Aloccio.
Airbus Helicopters/NHIndustries is offering the NFH variant of the NH90, with the RNZAF already operating eight similar NH90s. (Credit: Gordon Arthur)
Obviously, Airbus/NHIndustries are undaunted by the bad publicity and experience of neighbouring Australia. The Royal Australian Navy handed its six MRH90 helicopters over to the Australian Army in 2022, and then Australia suddenly, and somewhat whimsically, grounded and retired the entire MRH90 fleet after a fatal accident in July 2023.
Moving on to Leonardo, a spokesperson explained:
“Whilst we await full details from the New Zealand Ministry of Defence in the form of a request for price, we can say that Leonardo will put forward the AW159 Wildcat helicopter for the crewed element of the Maritime Helicopter Replacement programme.”
It added that it is offering the military-certified AWHero for the UAV element of the programme. “Acquiring both crewed and uncrewed systems from the same supplier can reduce complexity and logistics requirements.”
Leonardo is keen for New Zealand’s military to adopt the AW159 Wildcat helicopter, as operated by the Royal Navy. (Credit: UK MoD)
With the Royal Navy as its reference customer, Leonardo claimed the AW159 Wildcat is a proven and cost-effective multirole platform that meets New Zealand requirements and has full support from the UK government. Indeed, Leonardo emphasised the strong relationship between the Royal Navy and RNZN, and that “operating the same platform can enhance naval synergy and knowledge-sharing between the two countries”. The RNZAF has some familiarity with Leonardo products, for it already flies five A109 LUH helicopters.
The spokesperson added that the AW159 has well-refined ship-air interface qualities to support single-spot combatant operations, such as those required for RNZN ships. Furthermore, it “offers interoperability with coalition allies and Five Eyes partners. The helicopter has low operating costs and requires fewer operators and maintainers compared to rival platforms.”
A third vendor is Sikorsky, with the company confirming the MH-60R is on offer. A company spokesperson told Naval News:
“Sikorskywill follow the lead of the US Navy to support procurement of MH-60R Seahawk aircraft by New Zealand via the US government’s Foreign Military Sales programme.”
The Royal Australian Navy is already a current operator of the MH-60R Seahawk helicopter from Sikorsky. (Credit: Gordon Arthur)
The company believes the MH-60R is an “excellent choice” for New Zealand for several reasons. The first is that it provides “synergy with the Royal Australian Navy’s MH-60R fleet, which in 2022 ordered an additional 13 MH-60R aircraft”. Indeed, more than 330 MH-60Rs have been sold globally to nine nations so far, with Spain and Norway the most recent customers after they lodged orders in 2023.
Additionally, there is “an active roadmap to continue modernising aircraft and mission systems capabilities to ensure anti-submarine/anti-surface warfare superiority into the 2050s”. Finally, the MH-60R enjoys “a mature sustainment programme that keeps aircraft and mission availability high, and low cost per flight hour”. Incidentally, Super Seasprite engines are the same as those that power the MH-60R.
Naval News also spoke to Commander Alex Trotter, commanding officer of No. 6 Squadron of the RNZAF. This unit, based at Whenuapai in Auckland, operates the Super Seasprite fleet. He explained that three of eight helicopters have been placed in long-term storage, whilst the squadron is focused on having three naval helicopters available from the remaining pool of five.
Cdr Trotter explained that personnel retention “is the main reason why we’re constrained in terms of the amount of aircraft we’re able to operate and maintain”. He noted, “We certainly are understrength in the technical, senior NCO space – we’re talking about sergeant/flight sergeant level – which is why we’ve had to reduce our outputs in order to match what our technical workforce can achieve.”
Nonetheless, he said the SH-2G(I) fleet achieved a rolling-average mission reliability rate of 93% in 2023. However, “Availability is a different story because, on any given day, if we’ve only got like one aircraft available on the flight line, and that aircraft is out for a scheduled servicing, then our availability drops to zero.” Indeed, with just a handful of aircraft flying, regular phased servicing that takes aircraft off the flight line can skew availability rates badly. This explains why one media report in January 2024 cited an availability rate of just 11%.
“We are succeeding,” he said, despite “challenges in the obsolescence space”. When the Super Seasprites were delivered by Kaman in 2015, the package included two aircraft used exclusively as a source of spares. The CO added, “The good news is that to date we’ve found solutions, so every time we run into an obsolescence issue, through working with especially commercial partners, including Kaman who makes it, we seem to manage to find a way forward. Sometimes that costs money though, sometimes we have to open a production line with a subcontractor and it costs money. That’s where, you know, there has been some rightful criticism, I think, of any legacy aircraft in the cost-benefit analysis. How much money do you keep wanting to spend to keep it going, if you need to manufacture new parts for it?” Other Super Seasprite users include Egypt and Peru, neither of which New Zealand has any military relations.
No. 6 Squadron has around 100 personnel – comprising 25 navy aircrew, 70 air force maintainers and five civilians. An embarked flight team aboard ships normally comprises around eight maintenance crew and five aircrew.
Anti-surface warfare missions are their bread-and-butter mission, Cdr Trotter explained:
“Our main job is to provide a weapon and sensor capability to the Anzac-class frigate. So effectively we’ll embark to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance taskings. We’ll build what we call a recognised maritime picture around the ship out to a range of 200 miles using various sensors, including the radar, the FLIR, literally looking through binos [binoculars]. And then, if need be, we can engage those targets using the Penguin. If it’s a smaller target, we also have a cabin-mounted machine gun. That’s the primary job.” Commander Alex Trotter, commanding officer of No. 6 Squadron of the RNZAF
However, these naval helicopters still have to be jacks of all trades because, “You know, we can’t afford to over-specialise, noting the small number of aircraft we have.”
A pair of hardpoints carries up to two AGM-119 Penguin anti-ship missiles or MK 46 Mod 5A torpedoes. However, the Super Seasprite helicopter type’s anti-submarine warfare role is limited since they have no ability to target submarines with their own sensors. On the other hand, a P-8 could potentially direct them where to drop a torpedo, for instance. The Maritime Helicopter Replacement project should encompass new weapons, as the RNZN is looking for a complete package that includes a maritime strike capability. This is especially important since the navy’s two Anzac-class frigates do not possess integral anti-ship strike weapons. “The SeaCeptor right now is our primary weapon system for the frigates, and I think it’s safe to assume that’s what the project will be looking at is sort of keeping that capability,” noted Cdr Trotter.
Discussing the Super Seasprite platform, the squadron CO said, “If you compare it to some modern helicopters, like the ones we’re looking at for the Maritime Helicopter Replacement project, clearly it comes up short in some areas, especially the modernisation of the systems. But that’s almost like comparing a 1990s car to a modern car.” Cdr Trotter could not discuss the replacement helicopter programme candidates in detail, other than to say, “I think they’re all really awesome, capable machines. And, you know, from my perspective, I’m just really looking forward to getting something that’s modern, reliable and deployable.”
