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Operation Antarctica

Operation Antarctica is one of our largest summer deployments, and it’s one of our most enduring missions.

The NZDF has been contributing personnel to work on the icy continent since the 1950s, supporting important international scientific and environmental programmes.

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24 September 2024

Last flights to the ice with retiring Hercules C-130H open the Antarctic summer season

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has kicked off its summer season in Antarctica with its first ice flights for the season, in support of New Zealand and United States Antarc...

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has kicked off its summer season in Antarctica with its first ice flights for the season, in support of New Zealand and United States Antarc...

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27 June 2024

RNZAF carries out rare Antarctica mid-winter medical evacuation flight

A Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) C-130H Hercules crew has today carried out a rare medical evacuation of a patient from Antarctica, taking advantage of a narrowing gap in t...

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17 April 2024

Antarctica season comes to a close while Hercules crew conducts medical evacuation

Crew on a Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) C-130H (NZ) Hercules have conducted a successful medical evacuation (medevac) from Antarctica, a challenging mission given a rapidl...

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2 October 2023

Christchurch Counsellor turns Combat Driver in harshest continent on Earth

Seeing dozens of orca whales in their pods, attempting cross country skiing and gazing out across the snow to Mount Erebus are among the highlights of a deployment to Antarctica...

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29 September 2023

Carpenter takes the wheel in Antarctica with NZ Army Reserve Force

The first Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) flights of the Antarctic season headed south in recent days, transporting personnel and supplies, and Sergeant Justin Dark knows wh...

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28 September 2023

Summer season gets under way for NZDF's Operation Antarctica

The New Zealand Defence Force’s (NZDF) long-running support to Antarctica New Zealand and science and research programmes is under way for the summer season as the first fligh...

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19 July 2023

The plumb life in Antarctica

Do pipes freeze in Antarctica? Not if we can help it, say Army plumbers.

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27 January 2023

Our history: Decades of flying to the ice

For nearly 70 years the Royal New Zealand Air Force has been an important presence in the frozen continent of Antarctica.

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29 November 2022

Recovery from the ice

Suffering a maintenance problem on the icy runways of Antarctica is not ideal. But when a major propeller fault on a C-130 Hercules aircraft recently occurred, a dedicated team ...

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21 September 2022

RNZAF flight signals start of Antarctic summer season

The first group of New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel have arrived in Antarctica on the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s first ice flight for the 2022/23 season.

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25 May 2022

New Zealand’s gateway to Antarctica

Christchurch is one of only five gateways in the world to Antarctica and it’s the Harewood Terminal team who work behind the scenes to help make New Zealand’s contribution t...

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20 May 2022

Antarctic fuellies – first in, last out

A team of six Air Force senior aviation fuel specialists and a New Zealand Army petrol operator made their way to Antarctica for the 2021/22 summer season to offload a combined ...

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4 April 2022

Flight to ice completes NZDF’s Operation Antarctica for summer season

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) completed its Antarctica support for the 2021/22 season with a final flight to the ice in March.

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16 February 2022

Successful resupply mission to Antarctica proves capability of NZ Navy ship

The capability of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) ship HMNZS Aotearoa has now been proven following the successful completion of its first resupply mission to Antarctica. 

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10 February 2022

RNZAF fire personnel deploy to Antarctica

Last December New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) Aircraft Rescue Firefighters were deployed to support the United States Antarctic Program.

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4 February 2022

NZ Navy's new replenishment vessel sails on maiden voyage to Antarctica

Fresh from her deployment to Tonga where she provided essential aid supplies, refuelling services and water generation, HMNZS Aotearoa has now sailed from Lyttelton and is headi...

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12 July 2021

RNZAF carries out medevac from Antarctica

Aircrew on a Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules have carried out a medical evacuation of a patient from McMurdo Station in Antarctica.

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30 April 2021

NZDF Summer Season in Antarctica Proves Busy Times for Air Movements Personnel

The Antarctica 2020/21 summer season proved a busy time for air movements personnel based in Christchurch after they managed the transportation of more than one million kilos of...

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20231201 NZDF C1033116 101

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AdobeStock 994503128 2

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20180730 NZDF R1054358 026 v2

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20240628 P1024180 NZDF 010

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20240904 NZDF K1071142 008

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20240521 NZDF C1033116 004

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