Space and Defence Minister Judith Collins reestablishes No 62 Squadron as NZ's first space unit. Photo: NZDF / supplied
The air force has reactivated the name of a World War 2 squadron - but this time, as the country's first space unit.
No 62 Squadron operated key radars in the South Pacific during the war. But now it will help New Zealand better understand potential dangers in space such as intruders or eavesdroppers.
Air Commodore Andy Scott told Morning Report people rely on space for many aspects of life, including banking, agriculture and air traffic control.
"It's one of those emerging domains that we really need to be interested in what's going on there, and understand what threats - effectively, behaviors in space - could present to everything from air traffic control, banking, even the agriculture sector.
"So it's a very important part of what we do to protect New Zealanders."
The threats were not just from other countries but space itself, he explained, such as "solar flares that could impact the electricity grid".
The squadron was based at RNZAF Base Auckland, Whenuapai.
" It is a growing area, so at the moment it's a small unit," Scott said.
"It's about 12 people to begin with, but we will be increasingly growing, working with industry, working with academia, and growing that capability, which, as we can see from our partners is areas that of course our allies are also in the process of growing as well."
He said it would be expensive and "challenging" to get our own satellites, but "we'll do the analysis to see what we need there".
At the moment, the squadron is working closely with US Space Force.
"The core part of what we do is leading what's known as the Pacific cell.
"So there's three cells, multinational virtual operations room if you like, that have one based around the Americas, one based in Europe, one based in the Pacific.
"And so for our virtual team, it's between us, Australia, Japan and the Republic of Korea that helps monitor behaviors and we share it all widely amongst, I think at the moment it's around about 12 countries that are sharing that information."
He said the name - resurrected from a WW2-era group - was significant.
Air Commodore Andy Scott. Photo: NZDF / supplied
"So, 62 Squadron actually was an early warning squadron. In the Second World War it was based up in the Solomon Islands using what at the time was cutting-edge radar technology to both warn allies and partners of incoming attacks and also to help control allied fighters.
"This unit actually, it was disbanded at the end of the Second World War and it was actually quite a secretive unit, so it was a challenge to go through the archives to go and find a lot of information about it, but what we I do know is the New Zealanders that were involved there played such a crucial role.
"And so we felt it fitting to go and resurrect that squadron, given the importance and the work that it does and how it translates to what we're doing now."
The new unit was formally established on Friday last week.
"Space is vital for modern life - we rely on space-based infrastructure for a range of critical services, from weather observation to financial transactions," Judith Collins, the minister for both defence and space, said.
"This is an important signal that we're taking space security seriously."
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