The Australian Department of Defense has announced that it will spend $ 1.96 billion to buy 40 Black Hawk multi-purpose helicopters from the US.
Australia’s Ministry of Defense announced on January 17 that it would order 40 UH-60M Black Hawk multi-purpose helicopters from US corporation Lockheed Martin to replace the fleet of MR-90 Taipan built by European group Airbus.
“The Taipans do not meet the needs of Australia. We are confident we can make the most of the capabilities of the Black Hawk, as it is a familiar platform for the military,” said Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles.
General Jeremy King, the Australian Department of Defense’s official in charge of ground assets, said it was an important purchase to serve the strategic requirements of the armed forces. “Black Hawk is a mature, reliable, fire-tested platform backed by a solid global supply chain,” he said.
The Australian defense industry will participate in the supply chain and provide logistical, warehousing, and technical support for the acquisition.
The Australian military operates 47 Taipan helicopters built by Airbus, expected to operate until 2037, serving as multi-purpose helicopters for the army, navy, and special forces. However, they constantly malfunctioned and were banned from flying many times to ensure safety.
Peter Dutton, who served as Australia’s defense minister in the middle of last year, said that the Black Hawk helicopter is much cheaper to operate than the MR-90 Taipan model, noting that Australian officials have expressed many concerns. About the Taipan line for the past ten years. “There have been nine times when Taipan helicopters were not qualified to fly, and I would not put my soldiers in that situation,” he said.
UH-60 Black Hawk is a tactical transport helicopter used by the US Army in 1979, with a maximum speed of 295 km/h and a ceiling of 5.8 km. Many later variants were also developed for the US Navy and Coast Guard and exported to a number of countries around the world.