The Australian Defence Force has grounded the MRH-90 Taipan helicopter for good.
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HISTORY:
* First built in 1995 as an anti-submarine helicopter for NATO partners France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom
* German army experts raise concerns in 2010 the helicopter was not yet ready to transport troops, heavy infantry weapons couldn't be secured and the floor was prone to damage
* The multi-role helicopter was acquired to replace the Australian army and navy's Black Hawk and Sea King helicopters. The first two went into service in Brisbane in 2007
* The MRH-90 program was placed on the Australian projects of concern list in 2011 after a number of problems were identified, including transmission oil cooler fan failure, windscreen cracking, slow alignment of the navigation system and a weak cabin floor
* It was the only major project still on the list in 2021
* The budgeted cost for 47 Taipans was more than $4 billion
* Then defence minister Peter Dutton branded the helicopter inefficient, expensive and unreliable and announced 40 Black Hawks would replace the Taipans in 2021
* The Taipans were expected to remain in service until 2037
* 16 of the helicopters were set to still be flying from January 2024 before being phased out at the end of the year
* Government to focus on acceleration acquisition of US Black Hawks
PERFORMANCE CONCERNS FROM AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE:
* Engine failure
* Transmission oil cooler fan failures
* Poor availability of spare parts
* Problems with the cargo hook on the navy aircraft
* Problems with door gun mounts and the fast roping and rappelling device on the army helicopters. The door was found to not be wide enough to allow its self-defence gun to fire while personnel exit the aircraft
* Cabin and role equipment design
* Problematic or deficient aircraft systems
* Cost blowout to more than $50,000 per hour
PREVIOUS GROUNDINGS:
* April 2010 - a Taipan lands safely at Endinborough airforce base after reporting an engine failure. The fleet was grounded a month later and resumed flying in July
* July 2019 - problems with tail rotors after the crew felt excessive vibrations during a flight led to a pause in flights
* June 2021 - All Taipans grounded due to lack of maintenance and spare parts
* March 2023 - A MRH-90 carrying 10 crew crashed over a Jervis Bay beach during a training exercise and the fleet was grounded pending an investigation
* July 2023 - Another Taipan crashed during a training exercise off the coast of Queensland, killing four crew members
QUOTES:
* "There is no world in which we should be flying these helicopters again" - Defence Minister Richard Marles
* "Grounding the Taipan after the tragic loss of life in the Talisman Sabre crash was the right thing to do, and (the) decision to end service ahead of next year is welcome given the long-held concerns with Taipan's performance" - opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie
Australian Associated Press
