Australian MoD explains decision to decommission Taipan helicopters requested by Ukraine
Illustrative photo (Photo: Getty Images)
In Australia, 45 Taipan helicopters will be decommissioned despite Ukraine's request to acquire them. The request for their transfer to Ukraine was submitted in December 2023, according to the Minister of Defense Industry, Pat Conroy.
According to him, Ukraine allegedly submitted a request for the transfer of Taipan helicopters too late, after the decision on disposal had already been adopted. Conroy explained that the decision to decommission Taipan was made back in September 2023, while the request from Ukraine was received in December.
It's worth noting that the decision to decommission Taipan was made after four Australian military personnel died during training in Queensland. The military plans to replace Taipan with American Black Hawk helicopters.
The disposal of Taipan cost Australia approximately 1 billion euros.
"Ukraine made an official request for the MRH‑90s in December, despite the aircraft’s well documented safety and operational concerns," the minister stated.
At the same time, some legislators in Australia support the idea of transferring Taipan to Ukraine.
NH90 Taipan
A twin-engine multi-role medium-sized military helicopter. NH90 is the first production helicopter fully equipped with fly-by-wire flight control. There are two main variants: the Tactical Transport Helicopter (TTH) for army use and the NATO Frigate Helicopter (NFH) for naval purposes.
Earlier, reports in the media suggested that Australia decided to disassemble and dispose of retired Taipan helicopters instead of sending them to Ukraine. However,
Ukraine officially requested the delivery of helicopters on December 19, 2023, despite the aircraft having documented safety and operational issues.
