The MRH90 Taipan transport helicopter request story is complete. The Ministry of Defence of Australia has blocked the aircraft supply to Ukraine.
Australia banned the supply of MRH90 helicopters to Ukraine
During a conversation between Senator David Fawcett and the head of the Australian Foreign Ministry, Pena Wong, it was announced that Ukraine first expressed interest in Taipan helicopters in October 2023 and not in December, as previously reported. It happened during the NATO conference last October. Transferring helicopters to Ukraine would save Australia money to dispose of 45 helicopters completely.
However, the Ministry of Defense of Australia was against the supply and believed that the MRH90s were unsuitable for Ukraine. The government was allowed to form its own opinion based on these facts. At the same time, Fawcett noted that Kyiv submitted an official request for the Taipan. A few boards are still airworthy.
Pong, in turn, said that the Australian government will continue to use the advice of the Ministry of Defense on the issue of Taipan helicopters in its policy.
Australia decommissioned MRH-90 helicopters
As ABC writes, in September 2023, the MRH-90 helicopters of the Australian Army were decommissioned 14 months ahead of schedule. The reason is that two months earlier, during an exercise in Queensland, four servicemen were killed.
They were initially scheduled to be decommissioned in 2037, but the helicopters have had a history of problems, leaving the entire fleet out of service for many years.
Ukraine formally requested the MRH-90 on December 19, 2023, despite well-documented safety and operational issues with the aircraft.
ABC notes that the dismantling process has already begun. A representative of the Ministry of Defense said that the ministry "disposes of helicopters and systems in an environmentally friendly and cost-effective manner."
