After a deadly accident, Australia retires Taipan helicopters

Following a deadly accident, the MRH-90 Taipan helicopter fleet of the Australian Defense Force has been prematurely decommissioned.

According to Xinhua news agency, the Taipans will not resume flying operations before their scheduled retirement date of December 2024, as confirmed on Friday by Ministers of Defence Richard Marles and Defence Industry Pat Conroy.

It happens after four Australian Defense Force (ADF) members died in July during a military training exercise when an MRH-90 crashed into the water off the coast of Queensland.

The safety and well-being of our citizens is the government’s first concern, Marles and Conroy said in a joint statement.

The minister said, “We continue to assist the families of the four troops who lost their lives earlier this year, as well as the larger Defense community.

Australia has received the first of a fleet of 40 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters that will take the place of the Taipans.

On the night of July 28, four crew members were flying in an MRH-90 as part of Exercise Tasman Sabre 2023 close to Hamilton Island, which is about 900 kilometers north of Brisbane.

When 10 ADF members were rescued from the water off the coast of New South Wales (NSW) in March following the crash of their Taipan during counterterrorism training operations, the fleet was briefly grounded.

The investigations into both occurrences are still open.