In an unusual move, Australian Army technicians appear to be on track to tow NH-90 helicopters during 2023. As reported by the news site asiapacificdefensereporter.com. They began dismantling the NH-90 helicopters to bury part of them in a designated area under the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense!
Of course, this is not the first time Australians have done such an unusual practice. In 2011, they buried 23 F-111 fighters near the town of Ipswich due to the presence of asbestos in the airframe, which of course does not happen with helicopters.
More recent reports, such as this one from scramble.nl, give a clearer picture of the fate of the MRH-90 Taipan, as NH-90s in Australian service are called.
Therefore, the remaining 45 helicopters, since one of them was completely destroyed in a fatal accident in July 2023, will be deforested for all spare parts and then only the fuselage will be buried. The rest of the components are mechanical, electrical, etc. The assemblies are in addition to existing stock of spare parts, which appear to be under discussion for buyback by manufacturer NH Industries. The value of the helicopters on the used market is estimated at approximately $900 million (20 million each).
The statements of Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles, as broadcast by Sky News Australia on December 23, also explain this development. “We are looking into all available options to maximize the utilization of the current fleet of retired Taipans.”
What has also been heard is that some of the spare parts are expensive, such as engines, transmission boxes, tail rotors, etc. It was provided to New Zealand free of charge, where it maintains 8 helicopters of this type in service.
There is little hope for the crew of NH-90 that crashed in Australia
The strange thing about the whole situation is why the manufacturer did not completely buy back the helicopters and make them available to new or existing users. The original contract for the purchase of Australian helicopters supposedly prohibited their resale as “functionally intact”. In any case, the fate of Australian helicopters is disappointing because they are new built (the country started receiving them in the mid-2000s) but have never been able to fully exploit them, facing support problems, shortages of spare parts, etc.
Following this development, any chances of awarding the NH-90 to Ukraine were cancelled, following rumors that it had requested the helicopters.
We remind you that Norway has already begun withdrawing the type starting in 2022, while Sweden will do the same gradually starting in 2024, to be completed in 2030.
Norway: Ordered 6 Seahawk helicopters to “chase” NH90s
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