Four Australian defense personnel missing after helicopter crashes during wargames
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/28/australi ... index.html
Four Australian defense personnel are missing in the water off the east coast of Australia after they were forced to ditch their Taipan helicopter in the sea during wargame drills late Friday.
Speaking at a press conference in Brisbane on Saturday, Defense Minister Richard Marles said the search was ongoing for the four crew of the Australian Army helicopter.
“We meet this day with a heavy heart. Last night, just after 10.30, an Australian Army helicopter, an MRH-90, ditched in waters close to Hamilton Island. The helicopter was engaging in a two-helicopter mission,” Marles said.
“There were four air crew aboard. Because there was another helicopter present, a search and rescue was able to commence immediately. As we speak to you now, the four-air crew are yet to be found. The search and rescue continues,” he added.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said their “thoughts are with loved ones of the missing” in a joint statement with his Marles, also the deputy prime minister.
“All Australians hold them in our hearts and we hold onto hope as the search and rescue teams go about their work right now. We have the utmost confidence in their professionalism and skill,” it said..
The mission was a part of large-scale military drills involving the United States, known as Talisman Sabre.
The drills are held every other year, alternating between the two countries, and also often involve other allied forces.
The exercises have been paused to allow all participants “regardless of their nation, to reach out and let their families know what is going on,” Talisman Sabre Exercise Director Brigadier Damien Hill said at the Brisbane press conference.
Marles said the families of the four-missing crew “have been notified of this incident and our hopes and our thoughts are very much with the air crew and their families. Our hopes are very much with the efforts of the search and rescue crews as they go about their work right now.
Friday’s crash is the second time this year the Australian Army has been forced to ditch an MRH-90 Taipan into the sea. Two injuries resulted from the previous incident in March, which was put down to engine failure.
In 2019 the Australian government announced it would retire its entire fleet of Airbus-manufactured Taipans years ahead of schedule, describing the Taipans as a “project of concern for the last decade.”
PP
MRH-90 Ditching Off Hamilton Island, Australia 4 Crew Missing
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Re: MRH-90 Ditching Off Hamilton Island, Australia 4 Crew Missing
PHXPhlyer wrote: ↑Sat Jul 29, 2023 1:32 amFour Australian defense personnel missing after helicopter crashes during wargames
Friday’s crash is the second time this year the Australian Army has been forced to ditch an MRH-90 Taipan into the sea. Two injuries resulted from the previous incident in March, which was put down to engine failure.
In 2019 the Australian government announced it would retire its entire fleet of Airbus-manufactured Taipans years ahead of schedule, describing the Taipans as a “project of concern for the last decade.”
PP
The MRH-90 Taipan has had a dismal availability and service record in Australia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NHIndustries_NH90The MRH 90 Taipan (Multi Role Helicopter 90, an Australian variant of the NHI NH90). The aircraft are designed for use in a troop-lift role. The first test flight of an MRH-90 was conducted at Eurocopter's flight test centre in Marignane, France on 28 March 2007. The first 13 of the total of 47 helicopters were delivered when the remaining aircraft were suspended until issues had been resolved. The MRH-90 was listed as a Project of Concern by the Australian Government on 28 November 2011 due to operational capability concerns.The first four were built in the main plant in France, the remainder built in Brisbane by Australian Aerospace. The MRH-90 was chosen ahead of the UH-60M Black Hawk. This decision was primarily made due to the ADF preferring the Black Hawk, but indicating both airframes could accomplish the missions required. The Government of the time therefore saw both aircraft as capable, but Airbus offered jobs and industrial knowledge by offering a production line in SW Queensland which Sikorsky did not. The MRH 90 Taipan is in service with the 5th and 6th Aviation Regiment. There are, however, significant difficulties with the MRH 90 Taipan in the Special Operations role, which is the remit of 6th Aviation Regiment. This includes an inability to provide covering fire to deployed troops while roping or rappelling from the airframe. In December 2021, the government announced that they would be replacing the Taipan.
A Quick Guide to the MRH 90 Taipan
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Re: MRH-90 Ditching Off Hamilton Island, Australia 4 Crew Missing
Human remains found in search for Australian army helicopter that crashed at sea with 4 crew aboard
The search and recovery operation, which has involved the U.S. and Canadian militaries, has been hampered by bad weather and strong currents.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/huma ... -rcna97918
The search for an Australian army helicopter that crashed at sea killing four people during a military exercise with the United States last week found human remains but not the black box crucial to explaining the tragedy, an officer said on Thursday.
Recovering the four air crew and the black box flight data recorder have been the main priorities since an MRH-90 Taipan helicopter crashed on July 28 during a nighttime operation in the Whitsunday Islands off the northeast Australian coast.
An underwater drone spotted the human remains and part of the cockpit at a depth of 131 feet on Wednesday, said Army Lt.-Gen. Greg Bilton, who is coordinating the operation.
“The debris field is consistent with a catastrophic, high impact” with the ocean surface, Bilton told reporters.
The Australian navy would soon deploy specialized equipment to retrieve the wreckage and remains, he said.
The search and recovery operation, which has involved the U.S. and Canadian militaries, has been hampered by bad weather and strong currents.
Searchers were determined to recover the black box, which contains flight data and cockpit voice recordings.
“It’s a difficult task but we’ll do our absolute best to find it and, as you know, the black box is critical to helping us to understand what’s actually taken place,” Bilton said.
The crashed Taipan had been taking part in Talisman Sabre, a biennial U.S.-Australian military exercise that is largely based in Queensland state. This year’s exercise involves 13 nations and more than 30,000 military personnel.
A French Airbus helicopter had been flying with three aircraft and “communications were normal” before the crash, Bilton said.
A rescue operation began immediately but officials said on Monday there was no longer any chance of finding survivors.
Australia’s fleet of more than 40 Taipans has been grounded since the crash and there are doubts any will fly again.
The government announced in January plans to replace them with 40 U.S. Black Hawk helicopters. The Taipans’ retirement date of December 2024 would be 13 years earlier than Australia had initially planned.
Since that announcement, the fleet was grounded in March after a Taipan ditched off the New South Wales state coast near the naval base at Jervis Bay during a nighttime counterterrorism training exercise. All 10 passengers and crew members were rescued.
PP
The search and recovery operation, which has involved the U.S. and Canadian militaries, has been hampered by bad weather and strong currents.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/huma ... -rcna97918
The search for an Australian army helicopter that crashed at sea killing four people during a military exercise with the United States last week found human remains but not the black box crucial to explaining the tragedy, an officer said on Thursday.
Recovering the four air crew and the black box flight data recorder have been the main priorities since an MRH-90 Taipan helicopter crashed on July 28 during a nighttime operation in the Whitsunday Islands off the northeast Australian coast.
An underwater drone spotted the human remains and part of the cockpit at a depth of 131 feet on Wednesday, said Army Lt.-Gen. Greg Bilton, who is coordinating the operation.
“The debris field is consistent with a catastrophic, high impact” with the ocean surface, Bilton told reporters.
The Australian navy would soon deploy specialized equipment to retrieve the wreckage and remains, he said.
The search and recovery operation, which has involved the U.S. and Canadian militaries, has been hampered by bad weather and strong currents.
Searchers were determined to recover the black box, which contains flight data and cockpit voice recordings.
“It’s a difficult task but we’ll do our absolute best to find it and, as you know, the black box is critical to helping us to understand what’s actually taken place,” Bilton said.
The crashed Taipan had been taking part in Talisman Sabre, a biennial U.S.-Australian military exercise that is largely based in Queensland state. This year’s exercise involves 13 nations and more than 30,000 military personnel.
A French Airbus helicopter had been flying with three aircraft and “communications were normal” before the crash, Bilton said.
A rescue operation began immediately but officials said on Monday there was no longer any chance of finding survivors.
Australia’s fleet of more than 40 Taipans has been grounded since the crash and there are doubts any will fly again.
The government announced in January plans to replace them with 40 U.S. Black Hawk helicopters. The Taipans’ retirement date of December 2024 would be 13 years earlier than Australia had initially planned.
Since that announcement, the fleet was grounded in March after a Taipan ditched off the New South Wales state coast near the naval base at Jervis Bay during a nighttime counterterrorism training exercise. All 10 passengers and crew members were rescued.
PP
Re: MRH-90 Ditching Off Hamilton Island, Australia 4 Crew Missing
The RNZAF has 8 NH-90 which have not been as serviceable as they would like, just as the RAAF has had problems with their variant. I think the decision to re-equip with a very tried and proven Sikorsky SH-60 or variant is a good one. The decision to buy the Kaman SH-2G by both countries hasn't been very successful either and the Australians were finally forced to abandon it when it never achieved full flight certification.
One problem though is that the SH-60 is a larger machine and requires a larger flight deck - not always able to be fitted on to existing ships. The New Zealand machines were grounded for a short period after the Australian crash but are back in service again so it might be inferred that the Australians have a good idea concerning the cause of the crash off Queensland.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/488 ... ternatives
One problem though is that the SH-60 is a larger machine and requires a larger flight deck - not always able to be fitted on to existing ships. The New Zealand machines were grounded for a short period after the Australian crash but are back in service again so it might be inferred that the Australians have a good idea concerning the cause of the crash off Queensland.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/488 ... ternatives