Australia’s military is to ground its fleet of MRH-90 Taipan helicopters after a crash during multinational military exercises that left four crew members missing, the army chief said yesterday.
The helicopter crashed into waters near the Whitsunday Islands off Australia’s subtropical northeast late on Friday, sparking a search by the militaries of three nations, but hopes of finding the missing crew were fading.
Australian Chief of Army Lieutenant General Simon Stuart said that the military would ground its fleet of about 45 Taipan helicopters.
Photo: Bradley Richardson / Australian Defence Force via AP
“We are not flying the MRH-90 today and won’t until we think it is safe to do so,” Stuart told reporters in Sydney.
Even before the incident, Canberra had announced it would replace its aging Taipan helicopters with US-made Black Hawks.
Australian officials have complained about having to repeatedly ground the European-made Taipans, citing difficulties with maintenance and getting spare parts.
Stuart said the current aim was to keep the Taipans in service until next year, but “what happens between now and then, from what we learn from this incident, is yet to be determined.”
Australia’s Taipan fleet was grounded for a month after one of the helicopters suffered engine failure during a nighttime training exercise in March, forcing the crew to ditch into the ocean. No one was seriously hurt.
The aircraft that crashed on Friday night was taking part in the Talisman Sabre exercise, which brings together 30,000 military personnel from Australia, the US and several other nations.
Specialist divers have joined the hundreds-strong search for the missing pilot and three other crew, officials said.
Debris from the crash was recovered on Saturday, with Channel 9 television footage showing a section of the fuselage being lifted from the water.
Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles told reporters in Townsville that a full investigation would take place into the crash.
Stuart identified the four missing crew as Captain Daniel Lyon, Lieutenant Maxwell Nugent, Warrant Officer Class Two Joseph Laycock and Corporal Alexander Naggs.
They were all from the Sixth Aviation Regiment, based in Sydney.
“You have to feel for their families and their mates,” he said.
“Let’s be focused on bringing them home,” he added.
New South Wales Premier Christopher Minns told Sky News that one of the missing crew was the son of a distinguished senior police officer.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the crash as a stark reminder “that there are no safe or easy days for those who serve in our country’s name.”
He also thanked military personnel from other countries for taking part in the search.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, speaking in Townsville, said that the US would provide any assistance it could.
“Our hearts go out to their loved ones during this terribly difficult time,” Austin said of the missing crew.
The Talisman Sabre exercise was paused briefly on Saturday, but some operations then resumed away from the crash site.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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