The Australian government has blocked the transfer of MRH-90 Taipan transport helicopters to Ukraine at the direction of the Australian Department of Defense.

This became known during a conversation between Senator David Fawcett and Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

According to their conversation, Senator Fawcett noted that Ukraine first expressed interest in using MRH-90 Taipan helicopters for casualty evacuation during a meeting held during the NATO conference in October 2023.

The transfer of helicopters of this type to Ukraine would be more rational and profitable from a financial point of view, as it would reduce the cost of utilization, which is currently taking place in Australia.

Regarding a question of why the Australian government did not hold a conversation with representatives of Ukraine, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that the government acted on the advice of the Australian Department of Defense, which was against such a transfer of equipment.

She also noted that the Department of Defense had informed the government that helicopters of this type were not suitable for Ukraine and recommended that the government form its own opinion based on these facts.

Senator Fawcett noted that the Australian government has an official request from Ukraine for helicopters of this type. In addition, he noted that several helicopters remain airworthy in the transport version and could potentially be transferred to Ukraine.

When asked by the senator whether the Australian government would reconsider its decision to dispose of the helicopters and potentially transfer them to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that she would continue to take advice from the Department of Defense on the best use of the helicopters and make decisions on their fate.

To date, about 45 Taipan helicopters are to be disposed of in accordance with the decision of the Department of Defense.

As Militarnyi previously reported, the Australian government has begun the process of disassembling its MRH90 Taipan helicopter fleet.

Vital systems, such as Rolls-Royce Turbomeca turbofan engines, avionics (including navigation systems, instruments and display panels), and subsystems common to the NH-90 will be transferred to other users. The airframes and unnecessary parts will be buried at a defense facility. Disassembly will be carried out by industry partners.

As previously reported, the company intends to purchase Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to replace the Taipan fleet. The entire fleet of NH90s used by the Australian army and navy was suspended from flying in 2021.