New Zealand said it will spend NZ$2.7 billion (about US$1.6 billion) to acquire five MH-60R Seahawk maritime helicopters from the United States and two Airbus A321XLR transport aircraft, marking the first major purchases under its updated Defence Capability Plan. About NZ$2 billion is earmarked for the Lockheed Martin Sikorsky-built helicopters, which will be bought through the US Foreign Military Sales programme, while NZ$700 million will finance the Airbus jets under a six-year lease-to-buy arrangement. Cabinet is expected to review a final business case for the helicopter purchase next year. Defence Minister Judith Collins said the move will deliver a “combat-capable, interoperable and dependable” fleet and replace ageing assets such as the three-decade-old Boeing 757s that have repeatedly broken down. Foreign Minister Winston Peters added that the investment responds to a “sharply deteriorating security environment” and supports plans to nearly double defence spending to 2 percent of GDP within eight years. The announcement came hours after the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service warned in its annual report that the country faces its most challenging national-security environment in recent times, citing rising foreign espionage and interference—particularly from China—as well as intensifying strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific.