There are fears Queensland could be left desperately short of helicopter support if Cyclone Kirrily causes widespread damage.
Sky News Investigations Reporter Jonathan Lea says Queensland may be left in a “perilous position” as a Category Three storm approaches, as the scrapping of Taipan helicopters has left rescue efforts in a “catastrophic situation”.
“The truth is, the ADF, the Australian citizens, and our counterterrorism forces are in dire, if not catastrophic, situation at the moment,” Mr Lea told Sky News host Steve Price.
“The ADF made the decision to scrap our five remaining MRH-90 multi-role helicopters – they’re commonly known as the Taipans – they are the ones which frequently do the air assistance support.
“The decision by the ADF to scrap these five choppers means we don’t have a proper helicopter in its place to provide this level of assistance.
“As we have a Category Three cyclone bearing down on North Queensland over the next couple of days, it leaves us in a perilous position.”
source
450 million would have been better spent on Choppers, not stupid referendums
Waiting for electric helicopters from China being delivered.
45 extremely expensive units written off yet no sign of anyone in CASG getting fired for this complete screw up
China is preparing to attack. Spare me.
Only budgets & defending our porous border are in a perilous position. Fighting a full-scale conflict in the Pacific is comical in the extreme.
Should read " …..after massive no vote"
All to keep the US Military Industrial Complex ticking over.
LABOR IS A NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT ….
Send the Taipans to Ukraine as there is nothing wrong with them, build new helicopters here in Australia
Gotta laugh aye, out west where I am, we might see a plane or helicopter fly over, not for help, journos or political flights for publicity, been flooded in quite a few times, we used to have a flood truck to get food in and people out when necessary, good old gubberment stopped that one, they can post police and council workers to stop access to the roads so we can't even get a tinny or kayaks to cross the water, but nothing to help the people, I left the emergency services because of the arrogance of the upper management for handling an form of emergency out here, fingers crossed this incoming spicey storm doesn't get to wild, we haven't been able to restock food for nearly two weeks and there's not much on the shelves for 700 kays around,
The whole Taipan is just another total debacle in a long history of ADF materiel aquire
Australia: Buys Canberra Class, an Amphibious Assault Ship (LHD), also known as a Landing Helicopter Dock.
Also Australia: grounds it's entire military helicopter fleet.
???
What? – “Stupid is what stupid does”
would you risk the Chinooks fly them south for safety, what a screw up.
With the QLD Gov ,everything in Qld is perilous just to venture outside your home ,than again your not safe even in your home
Christ this country is in a mess our once beautiful country if it is not gone completely it will be shortly with this bloody pack of idiots in government.
SBS says Cyclone Jasper was Cat 4 when it hit. It was a Cat 2. SBS is a specialist at rewriting history.
ANOTHER ALBANESE BRAINLESS INTELLIGENCE AGENCY ,,, IDEA….PLEASE DONT VOTE LABOR….
Why does Bolt and others just hate Russia because it's the thing to do? The USA caused the Ukrainian Russian war.
There has been no report released about the Taipan crash that grounded the fleet – then wanted them scrapped. Why has the Australian labor government not released the crash report. That also – opens the door – is it government funding – for these aircraft. Was funding or maintenance cut – or maintenance extended between service intervals. There is a reason machinery fails – it fails through human error – at the flying or maintenance level. Labor wont release the report – and very quickly – moved to scrap the fleet. The issue being – the loved ones the aircrew that died that night – deserve – a full explanation. And government is accountable to the community – not just to serve itself – as labor – likes to do.
Its 14 ch47f not 12 in service
What about yatchs and boat sinking in oceans
Defence deemed them unfit so get a bigger war budget no other reason
Been buring brand new stuff for decade's
To maintain their budgets and increase them
No doubt decision made by trans gender military leadership
If they parked them in the right place they would be destroyed by flood then get new ones. No one wants to fly them only retardation that watched air wolf played gunship or if they did they didn’t notice the war propaganda games in the 1990s.
LOL Forrest Gump could have seen this coming, The ADF you have when your leaders are Desk bound monkeys
Isn’t this the state governments role? Why is the QLD state government expecting the ADF to do their job?