1/8/2024 0 Comments Taipan helicopters![]() Labor’s deputy leader, Richard Marles, told reporters: “Defence procurement is an absolute mess and they have been in power now for eight years – it is on them.” ![]() “That’s a decision that we’ve taken together as a national security committee to ensure that we’re keeping Australians safe.” “The Taipans weren’t meeting their marks – simple as that,” the prime minister said at a media conference in Sydney. Morrison noted the helicopter decision was made by the cabinet’s entire national security committee, of which Dutton is a member. ![]() In another sign of Australia drawing closer to the US, Dutton acknowledged the Black Hawk was “interoperable with our counterparts and with our allies” and was “the favoured platform in the United States”.ĭutton, a significant conservative figure in government ranks who has signalled interest in leading the Liberal party when Scott Morrison retires, foreshadowed that the government would announce “many other” defence-related decisions “in the coming months”. That prompted a top Chinese diplomat to warn Australian politicians against “doing anything that’s destructive to our relationship”.Ĭhina has sought to portray the Aukus deal – in which the US and the UK plan to help Australia acquire at least eight nuclear-propelled submarines to be operational from about 2040 – as an “Anglo-Saxon clique”. The defence minister said last month it would be “inconceivable” that Australia wouldn’t come to Taiwan’s aid if the US joined a military effort to defend the democratically governed island against an invasion by China. “I’ve been very clear about what I see as a growing threat within the Indo-Pacific, and I want the Australian Defence Force to have at its disposal the most effective equipment and the most highly trained people to deal with that reality,” Dutton said.ĭutton said Japan, India, European countries and Nato were also “worried about the military buildup by the Chinese government”. He hoped the new ones would be in service “over the next couple of years”, adding they would not be built or designed in Australia because it was important to “achieve capability sooner than later”.ĭutton – who was recently accused of ramping up national security rhetoric for political purposes as a federal election looms – said Australia could only deter “catastrophic outcomes” from “a position of strength”. The Australian government has now formally requested advice from the US on the acquisition of up to 40 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters for the Australian army “as an alternative platform to the MRH90 Taipan”.ĭutton said the Taipans had been found to be “unreliable” and the government would buy up to 40 Black Hawk helicopters. The helicopters are used by the army – including to provide support to special operations – while the navy also relies on them for maritime support. The entire fleet was grounded in 2019 amid serious concerns about the tail rotor blades and 27 aircraft were grounded last year to fix cabin sliding door rails.įriday’s announcement marks the second major project scrapping on Dutton’s watch, after plans for French-designed conventional submarines were axed in September, although a major difference is that these helicopters are already in service. Labor reacted to the decision by branding the Morrison government as “the worst national security government in our country’s history” and defence procurement as “an absolute mess”.Īustralia bought 47 of the Taipans as a replacement for the Black Hawk and Sea King helicopter fleets, but the multi-billion-dollar Howard government-era acquisition has been listed as a “project of concern” since 2011.
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