CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The Australian military won’t ever once more fly its fleet of MRH-90 Taipan helicopters following a crash in July that killed 4 troopers, the protection minister mentioned Friday.
Australia’s fleet of greater than 40 European-designed Taipans has been grounded since July 28 when one crashed into the Pacific Ocean throughout a nighttime coaching operation within the Whitsunday Islands off the northeast Australian coast.
Protection Minister Richard Marles instructed 9 Community tv that completely ending Taipan flying operations was the “solely determination that is smart.”
“We’re making this determination right this moment. In some ways it was inevitable, but it surely’s an necessary step to take in order that we are able to get our Black Hawks within the air as rapidly as attainable,” Marles mentioned, referring to the U.S.-built helicopters that may exchange Australia’s Airbus-manufactured fleet.
The federal government introduced plans in January to switch the Taipans with 40 UH-60M Black Hawks. The Taipans’ retirement date of December 2024 would have been 13 years sooner than Australia had initially deliberate.
The federal government made the choice now to cease flying the Taipans as a result of one of many 4 investigations into the crash will take one other 12 months, Marles mentioned. After the reason for the crash is defined and any faults within the Taipan fleet are rectified, that will have left just a few weeks for them to fly earlier than they have been retired, he mentioned.
For the reason that January announcement, the Taipan fleet was grounded in March after a helicopter ditched off the southeast Australian coast throughout a nighttime counterterrorism coaching train. All 10 passengers and crew members have been rescued.
The primary three of Australia’s Sikorsky Plane-manufactured Black Hawks have been delivered this month.
“There are going to be challenges round a functionality hole right here, and that’s why we’re working with our worldwide companions, notably the US, notably to get extra time for air crew to coach in order that they are often licensed on the Black Hawks as rapidly as attainable,” Marles mentioned.
The Australian military will even start flying new Boeing AH-64E Apache helicopters from 2025.
The Australian Protection Pressure will proceed to fly the Black Hawks’ navy variant, MH-60R Seahawks, in addition to Eurocopter Tigers and Boeing CH-47F Chinooks.