The Defence Force's brand new Hercules aircraft is set to embark on missions from tomorrow.
It comes after the first of its C-130J aircraft touched down in Auckland this morning.
Described as bigger, better and faster, the new aircraft will replace older models New Zealand's military has been using since the 1960s.
Air Force squadron leader Tim Jones told 1News on the older aircraft they had to be "a bit careful" with how they flew them.
"This thing can really, really go for it," he said of the C-130J.
It can also fly longer, with a much bigger payload.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the aircraft are important.
"Every time there's a crisis, a humanitarian crisis, we send what to pick them up? We send a war plane."
The C-130J is the first of a fleet of five "super Hercules" to arrive in New Zealand. This new fleet will allow the phasing out of older aircraft.
It is hoped the new fleet will ensure the country is ready for action, Jacob Johnson reports. (Source: 1News)
The planes have been built in the US as part of a $1.5 billion deal. Defence Minister Judith Collins said they will play a "key role" in what she calls an "increasingly volatile world".
The old aircraft went on more than 97,000 flights collectively, and was recently used to evacuate hundreds of Kiwis from New Caledonia.
Defence Force chief Air Marshal Tony Davies said there's very little operations which don't have a Hercules "somewhere in the background or foreground".
They're also used to transport politicians, and have had some high profile break-downs over the last 20 years.
An upgrade for the Defence Force's 757 fleet is also in the works. Maintenance problems this year with this aircraft left our Prime Minister stranded twice.
On the 757 upgrade, Collins said it should come "reasonably soonish".
The remainder of the Hercules fleet will be touching down by the end of this year. But from tomorrow, the C-130J wil be moving frieght to air bases across the country, as the Air Force puts it straight to work.
After this, the Defence Force will switch the new aircraft's focus to Antarctic operations, "repeating the pattern of the first C-130 ice flights in 1965, only a few months after their arrival in New Zealand", Davies added.
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