Ukraine Requests Australian NH-90 Helicopters
In recent months, the Australian Army has been working to dispose of its problematic NHIndustries NH-90 Tactical Transport Helicopters (TTH) by deliberately wrecking and burying the remnants. Now, Ukraine has made a formal request for what remains of these unloved helicopters.
The disposal of the Australian NH-90 TTH fleet, which includes stripping the airframes and burying them at a secure location, has drawn the attention of both defense experts and the general public due to the extreme nature of the disposal process. Specifically, the Australian Defense Force has been working with Airbus Australia Pacific and NATO Helicopter Industries (NHIndustries) to harvest key spares from the fleet for use by other NH-90 operators. The remainder of the airframes and systems will be disposed of in an environmentally friendly and cost-effective manner.
The decision to rid the Australian Army of its NH-90s was sparked by a series of incidents, culminating in the deaths of four Australian NH-90 aircrew during a special operations aviation support exercise with the U.S. Army’s elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment over the Great Barrier Reef in late July 2023. This led to the decision to immediately ground the fleet and expedite their replacement with Black Hawk helicopters.
Due to the lack of interest from other users in buying the airframes, the Australian government subsequently moved to develop a disposal strategy focused on disassembly and sale of the spare parts. This covert process was largely unknown to the public until the Ukrainian government made a formal request for the remaining NH-90 TTH airframes.
The request from Ukraine sparked a strong response from the country’s social media supporters and resulted in a vocal online battle between the two nations. Ultimately, Australia formally rejected Ukraine’s request for the helicopters, citing the ongoing crash investigations and the government’s responsibility to continue with the disposal strategy that it had locked on to.
Reports have emerged indicating that Australia may have given the Royal New Zealand Air Force some of the salvaged NH-90 components to support its fleet of nine NH-90 TTHs. However, this transfer has not been officially confirmed.
According to insiders, only one NH-90 airframe, the 47th and final delivery, will survive the fleet destruction and disposal. This airframe will be sold back to prime contractor NHIndustries in Europe to be employed within the manufacturer’s training and test fleet.
Despite the destruction of the NH-90 fleet, Australia has faced challenges in replacing the helicopters with the new UH-60M Black Hawks. With the delays in their entry into service, Australia found itself reliant on other helicopters such as the CH-47F Chinooks and a small fleet of AW139 helicopters while waiting for the UH-60Ms.
The decision to destroy the NH-90s is in line with Australia’s previous practice of burying retired combat equipment after the retirement of the F-111 Aardvark in 2010. In the case of the NH-90s, the decision was made due to an extensive list of design shortcomings and technical issues that plagued the fleet.
The destruction of Australia’s NH-90 TTH fleet also reflects the experiences of other international militaries, including the Norwegian, Belgian, and Swedish forces, which have also opted to replace all or part of their NH-90 fleets.
Looking ahead, the Australian Defense Force is set to field an all-American helicopter fleet within the next three years, consisting of new AH-64Ev6 Apaches, UH-60M Black Hawks, and CH-47F Chinooks, as well as MH-60R Romeo Seahawks, reflecting a shift in its operational capabilities.
