Page 61 - Australian Defence Magazine October 2021

OCTOBER 2021 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
BATTLEFIELD AVIATION 61
MULTI-ROLE HELICOPTER
The MRH 90 is used by both the Army and the Royal Aus- tralian Navy, with a total of 47 aircraft (46 operational and one spare) currently in service. As ADM has previously re- ported, the entire fleet was subject to a formal ‘cessation of flying operations’ order on 2 June, as a result of what the Defence spokesperson called “significant uncertainty” about the effectiveness of the current maintenance policy.
“This was a considered response by Defence and was in- formed by the work of our industry partner Airbus Australia Pacific,” the spokesperson explained.
ADM understands the issue was the inability of Army’s CAMM2 computerised maintenance system to keep track of the hours an individual component has been in service when it is swapped from one helicopter to another. To reme- diate the problem, each airframe is subjected to the survey of a number of these components and then released back to service if no problems are uncovered. A formal lifting of the cessation order occurred on 6 July and ADM further under- stands no significant defects were found during the surveys.
“Individual MRH 90 helicopters have been progressively returning to flight status since mid-July 2021 following completion of outstanding maintenance to assure each he- licopter’s safety,” the spokesperson said in late July. “De- fence continues to support Exercise Talisman Sabre with other helicopters, including Army’s Tiger and Chinook. The MRH-90 will return to training support as the fleet pro- gressively returns to flight operations.”
In Army service, the MRH 90 operates with 5 AVN at Townsville in battlefield support roles, and is transitioning to the Special Operations Counter Terrorism role with 6 AVN at Holsworthy under Plan Palisade.
CHINOOK FLEET EXPANSION
In April, ADM reported that the US Defense Security Co- operation Agency (DSCA) had approved the sale of four ad- ditional Boeing CH-47F Chinook medium-lift helicopters to Australia, to bring the total fleet to 14 units
The new-build aircraft were ordered by the US Army but delivered to Australia as part of a Defence requirement to address a perceived shortfall in battlefield airlift capability. This shortfall is possibly the result of the lower-than-ex-
MAIN: 29 Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters will be acquired via the FMS process from 2025 under Land 4503 Phase 1.
BELOW: A Tiger ARH from the 1st Aviation Regiment takes off for a sortie in the Townsville Field Training Area during Exercise Vigilant Scimitar 2020.
BELOW LEFT: Paratroopers from US Army’s 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment are dropped at the Townsville Field Training Area, by an Australian Army CH-47F Chinook, during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021.
pected rate of effort of the MRH 90 fleet, or the decision to re-role the RAAF’s C-27J tactical airlifters from battlefield airlift to Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations. Or perhaps both?
The first pair of additional Chinooks arrived in Towns- ville aboard a US Air Force C-5M Galaxy in early July, less than three months after the US Government approved the sale, and a second pair will be delivered before the end of the current financial year. The Chinook fleet is operated by C Sqn/5 AVN at Townsville.
“The additional helicopters will strengthen Army’s airlift capability into the future and increase the ADF’s ability to support operations globally,” Defence Minister Peter Dut- ton said in a statement marking the first delivery.
“The Chinook is Defence’s largest helicopter, with a long and proven track record of supporting ADF operations in Australia, our near region and further afield.”
The Chinook fleet has been acquired through the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) mechanism and is supported locally by Boeing Defence Australia (BDA). In June BDA announced it will also conduct maintenance on the Re- public of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) fleet of ten CH-47Fs based at Oakey, taking the total number of Chinooks under its care in Australia to 24 helicopters.
ADM understands Defence regards the maintenance of Army’s CH-47F fleet, under the auspices of the Cargo Helicopter and Unmanned Aerial Systems Program Office (CHUSPO) and supported by BDA and local industry, the “exemplar” of battlefield aviation capability stewardship.
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