NHIndustries MRH-90 Taipan
The Navy operated 6 MRH-90s for support and logistics including from the Canberra-class Landing helicopter dock (LHD), which were withdrawn from service in 2022, a year earlier then the Army.
The MRH-90 Taipan was the Australian version of the NHI Industries NH90 multirole helicopter, with a roughly 10 ton maximum take off weight, composite fuselage and fly-by-wire controls, the NH90 was designed for NATO interoperability.
It has weather radar, FLIR sensors, and a glass cockpit, and is powered by two Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322-01/9 turbine engines producing over 1600 skw (2,230 shp).
[2] Years after introduction the design of the side doors became a subject of discussion, as they were not wide enough for certain combat situations, which led to the Army implementing "tactical workarounds" when operating with the MRH-90.
[3] The special operations capable variant added a Fast Roping and Rappelling Extraction System (FRRES) and a gun mount for the cabin door.
On 20 April 2010, a MRH-90 suffered a single engine failure near Adelaide, landing safely at RAAF Base Edinburgh, with NHIndustries personnel investigating the cause.
[23] The cause of the failure was determined to be the compressor blade contacting the engine casing, leading to new preventative inspections; flights resumed in July 2010.
[25] In July 2014, the Australian National Audit Office released a report on the MRH-90, citing procurement errors and development deficiencies delaying final operational capability (FOC), originally set for that month, until April 2019, nearly five years later than planned.
NH90s first delivered in 2007 had not yet validated any of the 11 set operational capability milestones, and forced redesigns included bolstered cabin floors and windscreens, rappelling hooks, and door gunner positions; obtaining spare parts and fleet sustainment had also been more costly.
[29] In 2015, the Australian Army decided to delay retiring 20 older Black Hawks by four years until the end of 2021 in order to develop a special operations capable MRH-90.
In March 2023 an Australian MRH-90 with ten personnel aboard experienced an engine failure and ditched in waters of Jervis Bay with everyone surviving.
[41] In July 2023, an Australian MRH-90 crashed at night during Exercise Talisman Sabre off the coast of Hamilton Island, Queensland, with the loss of its four crew.
[47] It was determined there was not a link between the Jervis bay incident and the Talisman Sabre crash, which was ruled out by late 2023, however the investigation was ongoing into many factors such as weather, route, and other helicopter systems.
[35][55] On 29 September 2023, the Australian Government announced that the MRH-90 would not return to ADF service, bringing forward the previously planned retirement date from December 2024.
[36] In February 2024, the Australian Government announced that it would lease five H135 Juno from the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence for five years, to support "essential training requirements" for Army pilots.
[clarification needed][65] Ukraine officially requested Australia's MRH-90s for use in the Russo-Ukrainian War but was denied as none were reportedly flightworthy at the time and the disassembly of the airframes had already commenced.
[70][69] The disposal plan that was developed, did not include transfer to other operators, as no buyers could be found,[71] with the Minister for Defence stating that the request for the helicopters had come too late, and it was not considered feasible to reassemble the airframes; although public discourse on the retirement has been ongoing.
[74] One independent investigation into the fatal crash found that in 2022, one test pilot broke the chain of command he was so concerned about perceived safety issues.
