An important military exercise between the United States and Australia was suspended this Saturday, July 29, following the crash of a helicopter. In this incident, the four crew members of the aerial vehicle are still missing.
The aircraft, a European-made Taipan MRH-90, crashed late Friday off Hamilton Island, in the state of Queensland (northeast). “As we speak, the four crew members have not yet been found,” Mr. Marles said, twelve hours after the crash.
The families of the missing have been notified, the minister added, saying he hoped for “better news during the day”. Representatives of his ministry announced the suspension of “Talisman Saber”, large-scale military maneuvers with the United States, in which Japan, France, Germany and South Korea are also participating. They involve 30,000 soldiers.
These exercises were entering their second week with large-scale operations: aerial maneuvers, ground combat, amphibious landings. They are designed to test large-scale logistics, ground combat, amphibious landings and air operations, and demonstrate the strength of Western military alliances.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken are in Australia for meetings coinciding with the exercises. They both offered their support to American personnel who took part in the rescue operations. “It’s always hard when there are accidents,” Lloyd Austin said, “but the reason you train at such a high level is ultimately to be able to protect lives. »
It is not yet known whether the military exercises, which are due to end on August 4, will resume. Australia is currently recomposing its armed forces, in particular by turning more to long-range strike systems, so as to be able to keep potential adversaries such as China within range.
Prior to this incident, Canberra had announced plans to replace its fleet of aging Taipan helicopters with American-made Black Hawks. Australian officials have complained that they have had to repeatedly ground European-made Taipans, citing difficulties with maintenance and the supply of spare parts.
“We just haven’t gotten the flight hours we need with the Taipan. We are confident that the Black Hawks can meet our needs,” Mr. Marles said last January. In March, a Taipan MRH-90 flying south of Sydney suffered engine failure during a nighttime training exercise, forcing the crew to ditch in the Pacific. The crew escaped with minor injuries, but the entire Taipan fleet was grounded for a month.
