The Australian army announced on Friday that it will retire its fleet of MRH-90 Taipan helicopters earlier than expected after a crash involving one of the machines in July that killed four soldiers, AFP and Agerpres reported.

About 40 Australian military Taipan helicopters have been grounded during an investigation into a crash during a nighttime military exercise near the Whitsunday Islands.

The aircraft was originally supposed to be decommissioned at the end of 2024. Taipan helicopters “will not resume air operations” before that date, Australia’s defense ministry said in a statement.

The Australian government has announced that it will enter into service a new fleet of 40 US UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, three of which have already started flying in September.

“The government’s highest priority is the safety and well-being of our people,” Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said. “We will continue to support the families of the four soldiers who died earlier this year, as well as the entire defense community,” he stressed.

Australia replaces French helicopters with American ones

The former Conservative government led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced back in 2021 that it planned to replace its European-made Taipan helicopters with American ones.

Australian officials complained about European-made Taipan machines, citing difficulties in servicing and obtaining spare parts. This year, the fleet has already been grounded for a month after one of the helicopters suffered an engine failure during training, forcing the crew to parachute into the ocean.

The Airbus MRH90 “Taipan” helicopter is the Australian version of the NH90, a multi-role helicopter in service with the French Armed Forces under the name “Caïman”. The aircraft is produced by the NH Industries consortium, which includes Airbus Helicopters, the Italian company Leonardo and the Dutch company Fokker.

To date, more than 471 NH90 helicopters of all types have been produced.