Australia is going to utilise the decommissioned Taipan helicopters. Representatives of the Ukrainian community in Australia held a protest on this occasion, demanding that they be handed over to Ukraine.
Australia decommissioned MRH-90 helicopters
Australian ABC publication writes that the MRH-90 helicopters of the Australian Army were decommissioned 14 months ahead of schedule in September 2023. The reason is that two months earlier, four servicemen were fatally injured during an exercise in Queensland.
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 local MOD representative said the ministry "will dispose of the remaining airframes and systems in an environmentally friendly and cost-effective manner."
Ukrainians in Australia protested over the disposal of helicopters
On January 14, a rally of Ukraine supporters was held in Sydney. Commenting on the problematic nature of helicopters, Anton Bogdanovych, a participant in the action, said: "We assess the risks differently. We have a war."
Bogdanovych added, "The Australian government, for some reason, wants us all, the taxpayers, to pay close to $2 billion to dismantle them, to bury it in Australian soil, to pollute the environment instead of helping a friend in need."
The co-chair of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organizations, Kateryna Argyru, said: "The Russian Federation has complete air superiority over Ukraine, and these 45 Taipan helicopters can be on the Ukrainian front line, this will greatly help Ukrainians to fight for freedom and democracy."
The Australian government unfortunately hasn't communicated why those helicopters have been decommissioned and why they are being buried into the ground, she added.
Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, said he "hopes that there is still an opportunity [to hand over the helicopters] ... because we haven't received an answer yet."
According to the government, Australia remains one of the "largest non-NATO contributors to the resistance effort in Ukraine".
According to the Australian Ministry of Defense, "already we've devoted $910 million worth of expenditure, about $730 million of that is on military equipment."
Since the beginning of the war, Australia has provided Ukraine with 120 Bushmaster armoured personnel carriers and artillery vehicles, among other military supplies.
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