The Australian army announced on Friday that it will abandon its fleet of MRH-90 Taipan helicopters earlier than expected, after the accident involving one of these machines in July, in which four soldiers died, AFP and Agerpres inform.
MRH-90 “Taipan” helicoptersPhoto: LCPL Riley Blennerhassett / Associated Press / Profimedia Images
The Australian military’s 40 or so Taipan helicopters have been grounded during an investigation into an accident during nighttime military exercises off the Whitsunday Islands.
The aircraft was originally due to be withdrawn from service at the end of 2024. The Taipan helicopters “will not resume air operations” before that date, the Australian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
The Australian government has announced that it will enter into service a new fleet of 40 US-made UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, three of which have already started flying in September.
“The government’s highest priority is the security and well-being of our people,” said Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles. “We will continue to support the families of the four soldiers who lost their lives earlier this year, as well as the entire defense community,” he stressed.
Australia is replacing its French helicopters with US-made ones
The former Conservative government led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison had announced as early as 2021 that it planned to replace its European-made Taipan helicopters with ones from the United States.
Australian officials complained about the European-made Taipan machines, citing difficulties in maintenance and obtaining spare parts. The fleet had already been grounded for a month this year after one of the helicopters suffered an engine failure during a training exercise, forcing the crew to parachute into the ocean.
The Airbus MRH90 “Taipan” helicopter is the Australian version of the NH90, a multi-role helicopter in service with the French Armed Forces as the “Caïman”. The aircraft is produced by the NH Industries consortium, which includes Airbus Helicopters, the Italian company Leonardo and the Dutch company Fokker.
Over 471 NH90 helicopters of all types have been produced to date.
