Former opposition leader Bill Shorten says the Morrison Government does “get points for making the hard decision” in scrapping an entire fleet of helicopters.
Defence Minister Peter Dutton revealed the government’s decision on Friday morning and announced Canberra had already enquired about the acquisition of up to 40 Black Hawks from the United States.
“You know, these are hard decisions, but is it? Maybe you do get points for making the hard decision to go back to something which is more reliable,” Mr Shorten said on Friday. Mr Dutton said the performance issues with the Taipan helicopters were an “ongoing and well-documented concern” which required “great expense” to try and resolve.
It is critically important there is a safe, reliable, and capable utility helicopter available for our service men and women into the future.The scrapping of the Taipans – which were expected to remain in action until 2037 – comes amid a slate of cancelled procurement contracts including the much-maligned conventional submarines from French manufacturer Naval Group which will be replaced by US or UK nuclear boats.
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