ANAO’s identification of the MRH-90 helicopters program as a ‘project of concern’.

[The Ozzie Boy]

A joint parliamentary committee has recommended that Defence commission a performance review or independent external audit of its entire helicopter acquisition program, amid ongoing concerns over the MRH-90 helicopters project.




https://www.defenceconnect.com.au/air-s ... 84a2136106

[Hello Pilots]

What are the concerns?

[Wannabe60Driver]

Tiger, MRH90, and the EC135s at HATS Albatross are all under the microscope. It’s one thing to get contracts by looking after the right guys. It’s another thing to keep them. There was an ADF job advertised in mid October that was very obviously all about looking over Airbus’s shoulder and documenting the case against them. Hard to come back from that. I’m picturing a whole lot more Sikorsky and Boeing rotary product in the ADF’s future.

[Capt Slong]

Sikorsky and Boeing is where they should have gone in the first place. (Blackhawk / Chinook / Apache) enough said

Slong out!

[UnObvious]

It's pretty effective at starting fires, maybe we can repurpose it for helping start Hazard Reduction burns?

In all seriousness, with our defence budget, we should have been looking to the upgraded hawks as a replacement for the S70's, and gone with a proven platform for an ARH instead of the Tiger. We don't have the money to do the R+D on a new type, let alone multiple.

[Yankee]

ADF should bring back the venerable 212

[Eric Hunt]

ADF should bring back the venerable 212

Bring back? They never had them.

But Super Hueys and Super Cobras, being largely interchangeable and proven by the USMC, should be worth a look.

[skypig]

I’ve said it before:
The person who was the defence minister when the Tiger was signed for, should be jailed.
The person who was the defence minister when the Sea Sprite was signed for, should be executed.

[Helical]

Tiger, MRH90, and the EC135s at HATS Albatross are all under the microscope. It’s one thing to get contracts by looking after the right guys. It’s another thing to keep them. There was an ADF job advertised in mid October that was very obviously all about looking over Airbus’s shoulder and documenting the case against them. Hard to come back from that. I’m picturing a whole lot more Sikorsky and Boeing rotary product in the ADF’s future.

HATS is run by Boeing, so that's a different kettle of fish.

[MingMong]

Jailing Defence Ministers- interesting statement. Can’t comment on Seasprite.

However, Tiger, superb aircraft. Let’s compare Apples with Apples. In a parallel universe, had Oz have bought AH-64D, it would have been about 16 aircraft. The same people, the same contractual models, modifications ((ADF, ILS, HF, Satcom, no data link, no agreed Army Battlefirld management system) the same issues. Australia had Blackhawk, didn’t deploy it to any high threat theatres, Tiger not deployed to any theatres. Yet....France, Germany and Spain have all deployed theirs to Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, Ivory Coast, Somalia and I’ve missed a couple. Australian soldiers died due to a lack of Rotary Wing direct fire support. It’s not the defence Minister’s that need jailing.

Let’s not forget that a certain General (Chief of Army) was overseeing the “issues” of Tiger in the Australian Army, yet was subsequently employed by Airbus as their CEO (or such) upon leaving the Army, yet you want to jail Defence Ministers.

MRH, well - an interesting topic. Again, other nations deploy theirs on real jobs in real theatres, yet we in Oz continue to whinge. When the D was made, UH60M was a paper aircraft, so - wasn’t an option. All of what I’ve said in what could be seen in support of Airbus product, aren’t vested comments. However, I acknowledge that Airbus is a cottage industry. We in Oz have a culture of whinging, Huey pilots did it about Blackhawk, we will never be happy. The sad part is, the infantry soldier loses out whilst we whinge.

Jailing Defence ministers is not the issue. They aren’t the SME’s or the horridly morally corrupt Col and above.

[skypig]

Obviously my comments are somewhat “tongue in cheek”, but from the outside, our military seems to end up with poor solutions.
In the case of the Sea Sprite, it never made it to the military front line.
Despite costing the taxpayers over a billion dollars - someone should be accountable for spending a billion dollars with zero result.

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/seasprite-t ... ar-blunder

[5_mile_sniper]

I would have to disagree...

Tiger, superb aircraft. Let’s compare Apples with Apples. In a parallel universe, had Oz have bought AH-64D, it would have been about 16 aircraft. The same people, the same contractual models, modifications ((ADF, ILS, HF, Satcom, no data link, no agreed Army Battlefirld management system) the same issues.

If you want to go to an air show you take the Tiger.
If you want to kill everyone in the battlefield you take an Apache.
That's apples for apples...

While the Army still would have struggled with AH64, at least it would have worked.

[MingMong]

While the Army still would have struggled with AH64, at least it would have worked

This is the issue. It wouldn’t have worked. The same attitudes, people, contractual models, self interest etc would have prevailed. Just like Blackhawk. Australia never sent Blackhawk to a high threat environment (I don’t mean to be dismissive of Cambodia and Timor (you can only fight the war you are in)). Guardian is a different beast to the Delta. Tiger is done, I recognise that. Sadly, the peanut gallery will blame the manufacturer, when the reality is the operator. Kind of like blaming your car for bad driving and thinking that the other model would have been better, not the cars fault and the kids are still left, cold and wet, at the pool.

[5_mile_sniper]

My point was that apples for apples, the AH64 on a platform level works and is a true capability. Tiger never has, or has taken to long to do anything that it only reinforced its failure.

I do agree that on a system level;

The same attitudes, people, contractual models, self interest etc would have prevailed.

Army spent a lot of time preparing the wrong people in the wrong areas for the introduction of Attack aviation. If we had gotten the Apache, flight on FLIR alone would have caused the wheels to come of the trolley. They probably.would have even told the Americans how to operate the aircraft....

[CyclicH145]