ADF helicopters won’t start, won’t stop
The Australian
June 29, 2015 12:00AM
Australia’s new $4 billion fleet of army and navy helicopters are having trouble starting and stopping their rotors in strong winds, causing damage to the choppers’ rotor heads.
The problems affecting the new multi-role helicopter, the MRH90 Taipan, were discovered during ocean testing on the navy’s giant new amphibious assault ship HMAS Canberra.
The helicopters will not be deployed until the issue is solved.
The problem comes on top of Defence’s already troubled acquisition of the 46 MRH90s, a project delayed by almost five years.
The helicopters, which will replace the existing Black Hawk fleet and the retired Sea King fleet, can move troops, conduct search-and-rescue and special operations and counter-terrorism missions.
So far 33 of the 46 helicopters (40 for army and six for navy) have been delivered to the Australian Defence Force, with “final operational capability” expected in 2019, almost five years late.
Defence has admitted “some issues were encountered starting and stopping rotors under certain environmental conditions”.
It said inspections had been stepped up to investigate the issue. “The development of a suitable starting and stopping envelope for operations from the LHD (landing helicopter docks) remains a work in progress,” a Defence spokesman said.
Sources said the design of the amphibious assault ships served to accentuate wind conditions that affected the helicopter rotors at slow speed, making it difficult for pilots to quickly start and stop the rotors on deck.
The navy found that the problem also caused damage and undue wear and tear to the helicopter’s rotor heads. Investigations are now under way to see what can be done to fix the stopping and starting problems and the wear on the main rotor head. It is unclear whether this can be achieved by changing the way the helicopters are used on the LHDs or whether there is a weakness in the chopper itself.
The MRH90 project has had a troubled history since the first two aircraft were accepted into service by the ADF in December 2007. The European MRH90 was chosen by the Howard government against the advice of Defence, which wanted the new American Black Hawk.
The government is believed to have chosen the MRH90 because the bid allowed for more local involvement. The helicopters are being assembled by Australian Aerospace in Brisbane.
In April 2010, an ADF MRH90 had a single engine failure near Adelaide and the fleet was temporarily grounded. Investigations revealed the fault was caused by a compressor blade contacting the engine casing. Last year, a report by the Australian National Audit Office found the acquisition process was littered with poor program development and contract decisions, which caused the long delay in the delivery of the helicopters to the ADF.
The delay in the arrival of the full contingent has forced the army to operate its ageing S-70A Black Hawks beyond their planned retirement date.
The navy’s six MRH90s are based at HMAS Albatross in Nowra, 170km south of Sydney, and are used mainly as a cargo lift to deliver supplies to ships at sea. “When completed, the MRH90 will be available for two air mobile squadrons, one special operations squadron, and one maritime support helicopter squadron able to provide support capability to the ADF from land bases as well as the Canberra-class amphibious assault ships (LHDs),” the navy said.