Australian military switches from European to US helicopters

CANBERRA – Australia's subject said Friday it plans to ditch its fleet of European-designed Taipan helicopters and alternatively bargain U.S. Black Hawks and Seahawks due to the fact that the American machines are much reliable.

The determination comes little than 3 months aft Australia canceled a woody to bargain French submarines successful favour of gathering nuclear-powered submarines that usage U.S. and British exertion successful a power that profoundly angered France.

Australia has 47 Taipan helicopters that were designed by Airbus and were expected to past until 2037 but person been plagued with groundings. Australia volition halt utilizing them and bargain 40 Lockheed Martin-designed helicopters successful a power that volition outgo 7 cardinal Australian dollars ($4.8 billion).

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia was improving its defence capabilities and had built bully partnerships, peculiarly with the U.S.

“The Taipans weren’t gathering their marks. Simple arsenic that,” Morrison said. “And we privation to marque definite that our defence forces person the champion imaginable instrumentality to support this country, and the Black Hawks volition supply that.”

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Defense Minister Peter Dutton said the Black Hawks are overmuch cheaper to alert and that officials person had concerns astir the Taipan programme for the past decade.

“It’s had 9 instances wherever it’s been unsuitable to fly, and I’m conscionable not going to enactment our radical successful that position,” Dutton said.

He said the caller helicopters would bring Australia’s fleet much successful enactment with that of the U.S., an important information fixed the instability successful the region.

China has antecedently expressed choler implicit Australia's submarine power and said it was irresponsible of the U.S. and Britain to export their atomic technology.

Opposition politicians said the Australian authorities had wasted billions of dollars connected mediocre decisions astir galore of its defence contracts.

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