A Transport Aircraft Helped Australia’s F-35s Operate in New Zealand

When two Australian F-35A stealth fighters landed at New Zealand’s Ohakea air base in September, a C-130J Hercules helped prepare them for further missions. The transport supplied fuel from its own tanks while ground crews rearmed the jets.

That operation was central to Exercise Agile Tasman, which brought Australian F-35As to New Zealand for their first deployment there. It also marked the first time the Royal Australian Air Force had exercised a forward arming and refuelling point outside Australia.

Fuel and weapons away from home

A forward arming and refuelling point gives aircraft somewhere to replenish fuel and weapons closer to their operations. At Ohakea, the Hercules helped demonstrate how a transport aircraft can support fighters deployed overseas.

The New Zealand Defence Force said the arrangement demonstrated the ability to refuel and rearm aircraft rapidly, extending their reach and helping sustain operations in remote or austere environments.

A strike before landing

The fighters began their journey at RAAF Base Williamtown in Australia, crossing the Tasman with support from a KC-30 air-to-air refuelling aircraft.

Before landing at Ohakea, they conducted a coordinated training strike at Waiouru, delivering two GBU-54 precision-guided bombs under the control of New Zealand Army personnel on the ground.

Those soldiers, known as Joint Terminal Attack Controllers, help connect troops with combat aircraft. Using communications and targeting equipment, they give pilots information about the situation below and control the final stage of an attack. The exercise allowed Australian pilots and New Zealand controllers to practise those procedures together.

A combined operation

The training also included interceptions involving New Zealand’s P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. Australian and New Zealand personnel worked together on maintenance, refuelling, security and emergency support throughout the deployment.

The exercise illustrated the practical work behind an overseas fighter deployment: moving fuel and weapons, preparing aircraft on the ground, and coordinating pilots with the people directing their missions. At Ohakea, the Hercules was a working part of that system.