Taipan chopper call leaves nation facing capability gap

The troubled plagued MRH-90 Taipan helicopters will not return to the skies in a move experts warn will leave the nation with a key capability gap.

A MRH90 Taipan helicopter prepares to deploy with the Townsville-based 5th Aviation Regiment from RAAF Base Townsville. Picture: Evan Morgan

The Australian Defence Force faces “huge limitations” in its ability to conduct operations after the government announced the trouble-plagued MRH-90 Taipan helicopters would not return to the skies before their planned withdrawal date in Decem­ber 2024.

Head of research at Strategic Analysis Australia Marcus Hell­yer said the decision created a new capability gap for the ADF and a “very real sense of urgency” around acquisition of a new fleet of Black Hawks.

Defence Minister Richard Marles made the announcement on Friday following the indefinite grounding of the Taipans after the deaths of four Australians when an MRH-90 helicopter plunged into the ocean off Whitsunday Islands on July 28 during the Talisman Sabre military exercises with the US.

The ADF had let the MRH-90 fleet ­resume flying in April, just two weeks after one of the helicopters ditched into Jervis Bay, NSW, because of engine failure.

“There is no world in which we would be flying these helicopters again,” Mr Marles told Nine’s Today show. “We already have three Black Hawks in the country. The first of those took its first flight in the last week, but there are going to be challenges around a capability gap here.”

Mr Marles said the government was “focused on seeing their introduction to service as quickly as possible” of the 40 Black Hawks on order.

The government clarified that this announcement did not presuppose the outcomes of ongoing investigations into the July 28 incident but it came just days after a private memorial service for the four victims of the MRH-90 crash was held at Holsworthy Barracks, attended by Anthony Albanese, and a reorganisation of the army unveiled on Thursday by Mr Marles following release of the Defence Strategic Review earlier this year.

A MRH-90 Taipan helicopter in shallow water on the beach after crashing off Jervis Bay. Picture: TNV

The government on Friday said the ADF would continue to operate its CH-47F Chinooks, ­Tigers and MH‑60R Seahawks, which would “provide a robust and ready aviation capability to the Australian people”.

From 2025, AH-64E Apache helicopters are also scheduled to be introduced into service.

Mr Hellyer said the decision not to return the Taipans to the skies meant Australia would lack a reliable tactical battlefield transport helicopter.

If there was a need to deploy, the lack of this capability would compromise the ADF’s ability to conduct amphibious landings while for land operations, personnel would need to be transported by vehicles that would expose them to a wider range of threats such as improvised explosive devices.

Mr Hellyer said the lack of helicopters would also create extra problems for state and territory governments grappling with possible natural disasters going into what experts were predicting would be a hot summer.

“We need some pretty urgent answers on how we are going to get through the coming fire season,” he said.

A UH-60M Black Hawk. Picture: Lockheed Martin

Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie welcomed the decision to end the service of the grounded Taipan fleet but accused the government of moving too slowly to replace them.

“The army may be critically without sufficient replacement Black Hawks to transition away from the grounded Taipans,” he said.

“This seriously impairs our combat readiness as the army will not have enough helicopters to perform missions.”

“It’s now imperative on the government to complete acquisition and entry into service of the Black Hawk replacement program without further delay.”

Mr Hellyer said according to defence budget documents, there would be five Black Hawks in service by the middle of next year.