By Cloe Read and Josh Bavas
A regiment of Tiger helicopters have been grounded, and an investigation launched, after one was damaged in the Northern Territory during the Talisman Sabre military war games this week.
The army Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter experienced a “hard landing”, according to Defence, at Timber Creek in the Northern Territory on Wednesday.
Two crew on board were unharmed and able to exit safely, Defence said in a statement.
An Australian Army ARH Tiger helicopter during exercises in June.Credit: Tadek Markowski
“The aircraft sustained damage during the incident,” Defence said.
“The Director of the Defence Flight Safety Bureau has established an Aviation Safety Investigation Team to deploy to the Northern Territory to commence an independent aviation investigation of the incident.
“To enable the conduct of this investigation the 1st Aviation Regiment has implemented a pause on unit flying operations. Other rotary wing support to the exercise will continue.”
Defence did not provide further details about the incident.
The biennial Talisman Sabre exercises are Australia’s largest training activities between the ADF and the United States military.
They include 19 countries and more than 30,000 military personnel. For the first time, this year’s exercises also are held in Papua New Guinea.
The ADF permanently grounded its fleet of MRH-90 Taipan helicopters after a fatal crash during the most recent exercises in 2023 which killed four service members.
An investigation by the Defence Flight Safety Bureau, released in May, concluded it was highly likely the crash caused by unrecognised spatial disorientation suffered by at least one of the aircraft’s pilots.
Speaking to reporters in Darwin on Thursday, United States’ Brigadier-General Shannon Smith said he had no concerns about the Australia-US alliance.
He said exercises such as Talisman Sabre demonstrated it was not too difficult for the US to provide miliary support in the region.
“I have concerns about the tyranny of distance, the tyranny of time, the massive scale and scope of this region and the complexity of international relationships,” he said.
“[But] the military remains focused on providing what we are asked to provide through the national defence strategy.”
When asked whether China had sent a vessel to surveil the exercises, Australian Commander Air Commodore Louise DesJardins did not answer.
“The ADF always monitors our maritime approaches and the surveillance outcomes of that ... we keep a close eye,” she said.
“At the moment we’re not happy to discuss the surveillance.”
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