In transition

Changes in the air for Army Aviation

The Australian Army’s rotary wing fleet is in transition, from the entry into service of the all-new Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter capability, to replacing the stalwart Black Hawk battlefield helicopter with the delayed MRH 90, to bolstering the heavylift CH-47D Chinook fleet with two futher machines.

The CH-47D Chinooks have served admirably on operations in Afghanistan, as part of Australia’s contribution to the War on Terror. But at the other end of the capability maturity spectrum, the introduction of the MRH 90 and ARH Tiger have been plagued with delays, technical problems and supply chain issues, and both types have seen time on the government’s Projects of Concern list (although not at the same time).