ADF crisis as MRH-90 Taipan helicopters grounded

The ADF will have an acute shortage of helicopter capability for many months and possibly into next year as a result of the indefinite grounding of its troubled MRH-90 Taipan fleet.

Defence Minister Richard Marles in Canberra on Monday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The Australian Defence Force will have an acute shortage of helicopter capability for many months and possibly into next year as a result of the indefinite grounding of its troubled MRH-90 Taipan fleet.

The shortage will directly ­affect military exercises, operations and training across the army and the navy, with the government expected to adopt an ultra-cautious approach to the future of its 46-strong MRH-90 helicopter fleet following the deaths of four servicemen in Queensland’s Whitsunday Islands.

The search continued on Monday for the main cabin of the missing helicopter and the ­remains of the four army crew who perished when their chopper plunged into the water on Friday night during the joint Australia-US Talisman Sabre military exercise.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said the “significant wreckage” from the helicopter had revealed a “catastrophic ­impact” when it hit the water.

“And with every passing hour it is now clear that any hope of finding captain Captain (Daniel) Lyon, Lieutenant (Maxwell) ­Nugent, (Joseph) Laycock and (Alexander) Naggs are lost,” Mr Marles said. “As such, the nature of the activities which are being undertaken in the Whitsundays have transferred from being ones of search and rescue to an activity of recovery.

“What we do know is that ­defence exercises are serious. They carry risk and are such they are dangerous. But they are so ­important. These exercises have played a critical part in providing for the collective security and peace of the region.”

Mr Marles said the loss of the men was “as significant and meaningful as the loss of anyone who has worn our nation’s uniform … they died making a difference”.

Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell said the recovery operation was challenging and was taking place in the waters around the Whitsundays “where there are quite strong currents and tidal movements”.

He said the waters moved below the depth of a standard diving operation, meaning sonar equipment was needed to identify pieces of the wreckage and that specialist divers would be required.

“This is not an easy operation,” he said. “(But) We’re going to do everything possible to bring our mates home to their families.”

Mr Marles said there would be a full investigation and that the remaining MRH-90 helicopters would be grounded until the cause of the crash was known.

The indefinite grounding of the Taipan fleet leaves a massive hole in the ADF’s helicopter fleet. Without the multi-role Taipans, the ADF has only 22 Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopters, 24 navy MH-60R Seahawk submarine hunters and 14 CH-47 Chinook tandem rotor heavy-lift choppers.

The government is still awaiting the arrival of 40 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters that were to replace the Taipans by the end of next year. The first Black Hawk is ­expected within days, but even when the full fleet arrives, the aircraft will need to be prepared for service and aircrews will need to be trained. It is not expected that the Black Hawks will be operational until next year. This means that if the Taipans are permanently grounded the ADF could potentially face an acute shortage of helicopters for between six months and a year.

Mr Marles said he would seek to get the Black Hawks into service “as quickly as we can”.

Although the cause of the crash is not known, the future of the MRH-90 fleet is in the balance after a string of safety issues since the aircraft began service in Australia in 2007. In March mechanical problems forced an MRH-90 helicopter with 10 aboard to ditch into shallow water in Jervis Bay, causing the fleet to be grounded.