ADF switches to US choppersThe Morrison government will spend $7bn to replace its entire fleet of Australia-assembled Taipan military helicopters with US-made alternatives. Australia has applied to the US to buy up to 40 Blackhawk helicopters for the army and 12 Seahawk helicopters for the navy (ADBR). The federal government will scrap its 47 Taipan army and navy helicopters more than a decade earlier than planned in the move (The Australian). The European-designed Taipans have been plagued with poor availability and a number of fleet-wide groundings in Australian service due to a lack of spares and configuration management issues. It follows Australia joining the AUKUS alliance and dropping a French submarine program for US nuclear subs, as it doubles down on US reliance for military procurement needs (Aviacionline).

Source: Stuff December 09, 2021 19:50 UTC