‘Reliability, availability and affordability’: Black Hawks selected to replace Taipans at Oakey Army Aviation Training Centre
The Oakey Army Aviation Training Centre has welcomed three new Black Hawk helicopters, with the Darling Downs set to become a key training hub for personnel by 2029.
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The Oakey Army Aviation Training Centre has welcomed three brand new Black Hawk helicopters, the first of 18 to be stationed at the airfield by the end of the decade.
Announced by the federal government in January 2023, the Australian Army is in the process of replacing its MRH-90 Taipan helicopters with a fleet of 40 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, procured through the US Foreign Military Sales program.
The Black Hawks were initially introduced at the Holsworthy Barracks in NSW which will eventually house the remaining 22 choppers.
“In line with the national defence strategy we are going through a period of transformation within aviation capability to aid us in delivering a reliable, credible and affordable capability for the nation,” Major General David Hafner said.
“One of those efforts is the introduction of the UH-60M Black Hawks which are replacing the Taipan helicopter, they are very capable aircraft, versatile and able to support our land, special forces and amphibious activities.
“We have 15 Black Hawks in Australia right now and that is part of a fleet of 40 we will see by the end of that decade and 18 of those will be based in Oakey.
“Oakey will be the home of one of our operational Black Hawk squadrons but importantly our training system for the training of all of our personnel.
“Having 18 Black Hawks at Oakey is the largest ever presence of Black Hawks the base has ever seen.”
Black Hawk’s are one of the most recognisable and reliable military helicopters with more 4000 currently being used in more than 30 countries around the globe.
Major General Jeremy King said the chopper could be used for everything from domestic defence through to disaster rescue.
“Here in Oakey you will see an operational squadron of Black Hawk helicopters, the B Squadron of the 5th Aviation Regiment which was previously based in Townsville will be raised here in Oakey,” he said.
“The Black Hawk has been used to support defence assistance, disaster relief here and domestically, it supports our land forces as they train for combat and we support activities like domestic counter terrorism so there is quite a large span of operational activities they can conduct.
“What we have seen so far with the Black Hawks is their reliability, the availability and the affordability which were some of the driving factors around why the Black Hawk was selected to replace the Taipan.”
Colonel Duncan Flindle said the Black Hawks being stationed at Oakey also allowed personnel to train in South East Queensland.
He said the air base had also introduced five H135 JUNO helicopters to help provide additional flight hours for pilots.
“The training pathways are maturing and developing and they are being implemented currently. At the moment it takes 18 months to train a pilot and 12 months to train an aircrew operator and then they move on to their operation units in Townsville and Sydney,” he said.
“Oakey has a substantial training infrastructure, It’s is not just about the aircrew training it is about all of our trades including our ground crew so Oakey is a good and natural fit, we also have an aerodrome and a substantial training area and we are very grateful for the community support.
“I am ecstatic to welcome the Black Hawk back to Oakey, it is great to know we will ultimately have 18 aircraft here performing a range of roles and missions including training.”
Check out the Black Hawks below
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